Being Dead Sucks
by nick2951
Summary: in the aftermath of 5x12, Mona found herself stuck on Earth due to a complication with her eternal rest. Now she must help the Liars as a Ghost with only a single person who can see her. Spoby, Paily, Ezria, and Haleb shown.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

I never thought I would be at my own funeral.

As I sit in the back pew, not seen by anyone since technically I was a ghost, I still could not decide whether to cry or laugh. Everyone in the church was dressed in black while I was in the same clothes that I was wearing when I was last alive. If anyone could see me, I would have definitely have stood out.

I watched as my mother, struggling to hold back tears, thanked everyone in the small church for coming. After she was done, the church's pastor gave a short sermon; the usual words that are usually said at things like this and were almost never true. I found the part where he said "my soul was at peace" just plain ridiculous.

I was definitely not at peace; especially since my body still wasn't found.

At least that's what I heard when I walked into the church just before the ceremony started. One of my relatives, a cousin whom I never really saw much of when I was still breathing, mentioned that the police were still looking for my corpse. When I died it was Thanksgiving, but now it was into the next year and my death was still a mystery for the town of Rosewood.

I don't remember what happened when I died. I don't remember what happened with anything since I woke up on the street just a few hours ago. The last memory I had was watching my mom leave for my relatives and my call to Aria. After that there was nothing. It was like there was a hole in my memories that was just there.

I knew I was dead when a car drove right through me and that no one could see me. I was a genius so it didn't take me more than a few minutes to realize I was a ghost. I was still processing it when I stumbled across the church and the service, deciding to just walk in when I saw a bunch of familiar faces.

Looking around, I found it funny that so many people I knew came to my funeral. In the front pews were my mother, my uncle, and Hanna as well as her mother. In the back of them sat Aria, Mike, Spencer, Toby, Ezra, Emily, Paige, and Lucas. The rest of the seats were occupied by the rest of my extended family as well as the Hastings (which really surprised me) though right next to me was Tanner and Holbrook. At the other end, next to them, were Jenna and Sydney.

It was hard to see but Hanna looked like she had been crying and I couldn't believe it was for me. In fact, it looked like everyone had a few tears in their eyes, even Emily who said we would never be besties. Mike looked lost and Aria was clutching his hand for support while Ezra was doing the same for her.

Spencer and Toby sat next to Caleb, whom all three looked surprisingly sad. I wasn't sure what to make of that given my issues with them. Caleb hated me because of what I did to Hanna. Spencer and Toby didn't like me because of what I did to them when I was still on the A Team. So I was a bit astounded that that they were actually unhappy that I was dead.

"I guess Spencer is out of jail," I said out loud. Knowing full well no one could hear me. On my journey here, I screamed at every person and car I passed by with no reaction from anyone. I was surprised to see Caleb whip his head around suddenly as if had heard me.

That caught my curiosity.

Before I could check up on that, the priest asked if there was anyone who wanted to speak for the departed. Which I swear caused me chills since I was right here. I was once again surprised when Hanna suddenly stood up and walked to the podium where the priest moved aside for her. He then took a seat next to the altar.

She looked beautiful in that long black dress that went down to her feet. It was the most conservative thing I had ever seen her in and it covered almost her entire body. Her hair had grown longer since I last saw her and her makeup was smeared slightly which meant that she had been crying. I leaned forward as she began to speak and I felt a pain in my heart which again I was surprised since I was dead.

"Mona was my friend. She was once my best friend, but she harassed me and my friends last year. I forgave her because I now know she was sick and scared because of what was done to her by Alison. I also understand now because I did nothing to stop what was happening to Mona and I will always regret that. Mona helped me find out the truth about everything and I will always be grateful. I hope she is at peace now and happy because she deserved to be after everything that has happened." She tried to keep her voice clear but anyone could tell she was in pain.

After she was done, Hanna returned to the pew and hugged my crying mother before sitting back down.

While it was short, it did cause me to cry which I didn't think I could do. The tears felt real as they poured down my face. There so many things I was feeling that it was just overwhelming. I think the biggest things were guilt and regret which caused me to cry harder. Out of the corner of my eye, it seemed that Caleb was looking back here but I was too into myself to care.

I kept my head low the rest of the service. I think others also talked about me, maybe Paige and Emily, but I was just too wrapped up with my thoughts to care. Eventually the service ended and I could hear everyone leaving the church in groups. The casket was removed to be buried and soon I found myself alone in the church.

It wasn't fair that I was dead.

I was going to college. I was up for head of the class alongside Spencer and Andrew. I had plans for my career in computer science. I was getting out of Rosewood and putting all this behind me. I had a future.

And now I was dead.

While I wallowed in self-pity, I could hear the Church doors open and someone walk inside. I looked up to see a man walking up to the podium who clearly wasn't dressed for a funeral. He was almost fat, white skinned, and his eyes were covered up by dark sunglasses. He was dressed in a pair of grey shorts with a matching star wars t-shirt and brown sandals.

I kept watching as he looked around and the smile he had seemed like he was amused by something. It was not smug like the looks Alison gave you but it was up there. Finally having enough, I stood up and turned to leave when he suddenly spoke.

"Going somewhere Ms. Vanderwaal?"

I was stunned and turned towards him, seeing that he was staring right at me. I could only gape as he just looked at me with an even more annoying smile.

"You can see me?" I asked. I wasn't sure whether to be happy or nervous because whoever this guy was, he gave me a very strange feeling.

"Oh yes quite well. You really do stand out in a place like this." There was an accent to his voice that I could not pick up on though it had a bit of seniority to it. Like this was someone with authority.

I was always a smart person. Spencer never won all the awards because I brought home my fair share of academic achievements. So as I stared at the weird man in front of me, it did not take me long to figure out why he could see me and who he was.

"Are you here to take me?" I tried to keep the nervousness out of my voice but failed miserably.

"You really are smart Mona, but no. You are a complicated case right now so you're not going anywhere," There was just a hint of tone apologetic in his voice but the rest was pure amusement.

"What do you mean? Why am I not in the afterlife?" I fought to take a step back when he moved towards me with his hands in his pocket like he was just hanging out.

At one time, I used to go to Church with my mother. When I grew older and life started sucking because of Alison, I stopped because I refused to believe that any God could allow the existence of Alison DiLaurentis. While wasn't an outright Atheist, I did think there was other side in some way.

"Well Mona, I'll just get straight to the point because I am a very bust being. You weren't supposed to die and now we have a problem," he stated.

"Wait….what? What do you mean I wasn't supposed to die? Who are you?" I demanded and having some courage to raise my voice at him.

"Who I am doesn't matter. Though I will happily say that I am not a part of the Heavenly Host or the Fallen. As for why you weren't supposed to die, there was a screw up of sorts during the writing of your story and now we are not sure what to do with you." The way he said it, I was now an inconvenience to him.

"How can you not know what not to do with me? Can't you just take me where I am supposed go?" I did not know what was going on and I hated that.

"So you want to go to Hell?" The Man casually asked. My eyes widened and I struggled to answer him.

I know I was not a good person these past few years. I also know I did some pretty horrible things to a lot of people. But I also knew that they paled compared to what some others around me did, especially Alison. But I refused to believe all that would condemn me forever.

"You were a very bad girl Mona and you deserved to be punished for it. But since you were never supposed to die, you would have eventually been redeemed and lived a happy life. By unexpectedly dying, you future eternity is now screwed up. So until there is a decision on what to do with you, you are sticking around for a while," His tone indicated there was no arguing with him but I couldn't help it.

"But why wasn't I supposed to die? What happy life? What am I supposed to do since I am dead? I am a Ghost!" I was practically shouting at the being who just looked like he was bored; like my mother did when I was in my screaming fits as a child.

"To your first and second questions, can't tell you. For what you're supposed to do now, well you're a smart girl, figure it out. Good luck."

And with that, he was gone.

**Author's Note: This story was a direct reaction to last week's episode and something I will be working on and finish hopefully by the time of the premier. This will obviously be speculative AU and pure Mona-centric. I am looking for a pre-reader to any volunteers would be great. I also haven't forgotten about "The Odd Couple" and plan to update soon. Please R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

I must have just stood there for who knows how long while I wrapped my head around what was just said to me.

"_You're a smart girl. Figure it out"_

What the Hell was I supposed to figure out? I'm dead! I am a damn Ghost who can't communicate with anyone or do anything physical. Was this a joke? I am a genius but even I can't figure out all of this.

That is when I screamed. I screamed as loud as I could and flayed by body about, trying to knock over anything I could. It would have been comical given that my body lacked any physical form so all I did was just passed through objects at ease. I didn't care though and just kept at it.

Eventually I stopped and collapsed on the floor as I slowly cried. As I sat there, I realized that I didn't know what to do now. I couldn't go home. I won't go home. I didn't want to see my mother right now. I didn't want to stay here. There was nowhere to go for me.

Not only was I a Ghost, I was a homeless ghost.

Having enough of the church, I got up from the ground and walked outside. It was still midday and I looked around to see what was going on. Off in the stance, I could make out everyone starting to disperse and I concluded that they were done putting my empty casket into the ground.

I wondered where my body was. Obviously Alison/A took it but I had no clue why. I was still drawing a blank on the day that I died so I was only theorizing that it was Alison/A that killed me. I knew I had crossed the line when I started helping the girls and that I was going to be punished. Didn't think I would get killed over it.

But Alison was a Psychopath so I shouldn't be surprised.

As everyone was getting ready to leave by heading to the various cars parked, I considered my options. I didn't have to eat, sleep, use the bathroom, or anything else hygienic since I was dead. But I felt I had to go somewhere since wandering around town just seemed too dumb to do. So I decided to go home with someone.

My home and Hanna's house were out of the picture because I just couldn't face the closest to me right now. It was the same with Aria's given my feelings for Mike. Any of the guy's places were out of the question. Already seen enough of Toby, Ezra, and Caleb as it was when I was alive.

That left Spencer, Emily, or Paige.

As it happened, Spencer and her family were the closest to where I was standing. It was a rare sight to see all four of the Hastings in one place. It was even rarer to see Veronica Hastings comforting both her daughters at the same time. She held them close as they walked towards their car while Peter Hasting followed from behind.

Not seeing Emily and Paige around, I decided to room with the Hastings for the time being.

To be honest, I was surprised to see all the Hastings come to my funeral. Spencer and Melissa yes, but not the parents. My last contact with one of the parents was Veronica and that did not go well at all even though I was really trying to help. Maybe they were grateful that I tried to help Spencer but I doubted it. My mother always said that the Hastings only looked out for family though Spencer was the exception.

Despite her many failures, she always fought for her friends.

They had all traveled together and conveniently in a wide car so there was a nice big enough space in the back so that didn't have to be in the trunk. While Peter drove and Veronica in the passenger seat, Melissa and Spencer were in the back with me in between. With all of them dressed in black, I would have comically stood out if anyone could actually see me.

"What did Mrs. Vanderwaal want to talk to you guys about?" Melissa asked her parents as Peter exited the cemetery and got on the main road.

"She wanted out permission for something," answered Veronica before her husband could answer. The two shared a look that I instantly caught as well as Spencer.

"Permission for what?" Spencer asked, kind of rudely in my opinion.

"It's not important," Peter said, in a manner that would have ended the subject for most people. Too bad for him that his kids were just like their parents and would not let it drop.

"I thought we all agreed that there were no more secrets in this family. I think this counts as a secret," Melissa said aggressively and I was surprised to see her backing Spencer up. It seemed that a few things changed when I died.

Both parents looked at each other and sighed as they were obviously caught by surprise. I knew Melissa pretty well and she always was the one to do what her parents told her to do. On the outside she was the perfect obedient daughter but I knew Melissa's secrets and she was hardly as perfect as she projected.

Spencer's skeletons were nothing compared to her sisters.

"Leona wanted to ask us if it was okay for you girls to testify against Alison in the Wrongful Death Suit that is being filed," Mrs. Hastings informed everyone.

"Mona's Mom is suing Alison?" Spencer asked, clearly surprised as the rest of us were.

"Yes she is. Apparently, Leona is tired of the police not doing anything and is taking matters into her own hands," Peter said. I could hear the smugness in his voice and I had no doubt that any hurt happening to the DiLaurentis Family was a good thing in his eyes.

It didn't surprise me that my mom was going to do something about my death. I was all that she had since my father's death all those years ago and I couldn't imagine what she was going through. I didn't want to see it because I had no idea how I would take it. I had a hard time dealing with my future as a ghost without seeing my grieving mother.

"So when does she want us to testify?" Spencer asked. It didn't surprise me that she was on board with the idea given that it was against Alison.

"You and Melissa won't be doing anything. We can't risk what Melissa did getting out and you Spencer would hurt the case because of your problems with Alison. Right now the best thing you two could do is just lay low," Mrs. Hastings said as if it was an order.

"But Alison murdered Mona and she has to pay," objected Spencer, clearly not letting this go.

"There's no proof she did it Spencer. The police cleared Alison when you and your friends accused her of it a month ago," Mr. Hastings informed. I could tell he was getting tired of arguing with Spencer.

"Then she had someone do it for her! Mona was helping me. She had proof that Alison lured Bethany to Rosewood to murder her because Mrs. DiLaurentis was having an affair with her father and she was jealous."

"Which is all speculation at this point. I appreciate that Mona was trying to help you and I am grateful for it. But she is dead and there is nothing we can do about it. All that matters right now is making sure you are safe and out of jail," Veronica said which ended the conversation. I watched as both Melissa and Spencer exchanged a look but stayed quiet.

It was another ten minutes before the Hastings got home. I stayed in the car until all four of them got out and I then followed them up to the front door. Across the street, I could see Alison's house and it looked like no one was home. I was grateful since she was the last person I wanted to see right now.

Did she kill me herself? I doubted it since Alison never got her hands dirty unless it was something easy to do. I wish I could remember that day but it was like there was a colossal hole in my head that held my memories. In fact, there were whole gaps in my memory when it came to Alison and her secrets; it was as if someone or something had taken every bit of knowledge of Alison and A from me.

Making my way into the house, I watched as Spencer made her way up the stairs to her room while the rest of the Hastings stayed downstairs. Thinking that there was nothing of relevance downstairs, I made my way up to where Spencer's room was. Since I knew the Hastings house inside and out, I knew exactly where her room was and just went through the door which was shut.

As expected, Spencer was changing out of the black dress she wore for my funeral and into more casual clothing. I watched her as she changed into a pair of blue jeans and a grey short sleeved shirt, not feeling the slightest perverted since there were many times I watched her change during my days as "A". There was only one person that made me feel uncomfortable when she was undressed and that was Hanna.

When she was done, Spencer plopped onto her bed and lied down. She was breathing hard and had her eyes closed so I guessed she was taking a nap. Looking at the clock next to her bed, I saw that it was just after three which meant that I awoke on Earth around noon.

Looking around, Spencer hadn't changed her room much since I was last in it. There were a few more pictures of her and Toby, her and the rest of the girls, and a few of her family. One picture that caught my eye and caused me to get a closer look was one of Toby in a police uniform. When I was still alive, I had heard that he was becoming a cop and was surprised that it actually happened.

"So I guess this is home," I said out loud and sat on the armchair near the window. I wondered if Spencer sill kept things in the secret compartment that I knew she had underneath the chair's cushion.

After an hour of me just sitting and Spencer napping, her cell phone went off and Spencer grabbed it from her purse on the bed. I watched as she pressed a button and answered it so I walked over to see who it was but couldn't without getting too close. I had yet to see what would happen if I passed through a living person and figured I would try it at some point in the future.

"Hi. No Toby isn't here; he had to be on shift tonight. No go ahead, come over. Could you bring me a drink? Cool thanks, is Emily and Hanna coming? Ahh I see, see you later." Spencer then hung up and dropped the phone on the bed and lied back down.

It was easy to figure out that it was Aria she had been talking to and that she was on her way here. This meant that I would have the pleasure of seeing Team Sparia and wondered what was going to happen. Maybe they would have something of use to say seeing that I was out of the loop for a few months and had no idea what has happened since I died.

At this point, I still didn't know how Spencer was out of jail, how I died, who killed me, what was going on with Alison, and what "A" was doing. It wasn't like I could straight up ask what was going on and the number of people who knew what was going on were few in number. So I had to be lucky when it came to listening in on conversations.

It was another hour when Aria showed up. There was a knock on the bedroom door and Spencer jumped up to answer it. Opening the door for Aria, she then closed the door behind her once Aria was inside with two cups from The Brew. Aria then handed Spencer one of the cups which she then took a drink out of.

"Where's your parents? It was Melissa who let me in and I didn't see them," Aria said as she took a sip of her own drink. She had changed out of her black dress and into a green one that was a tad too fluffy to me.

"Probably at couple's therapy; they started going every week when dad moved back it," Spencer answered as she and Aria sat on the bed with both of them at the helm leaning against the wall. As I watched them, I saw the closeness that existed between the two compared to the other girls.

I always believed that if they weren't with Toby and Ezra, Spencer and Aria would be a couple.

"How is Mike?" asked Spencer, concern in her voice.

"Angry; really angry. He just went to his room after we got home. Byron and Ella said they would watch over him tonight," answered the shorter girl. I felt a pain in my heart since I knew that Mike had really loved me.

"So you didn't go the reception?"

"No, me and Mike just went straight home. Hanna and Emily went though along with Hanna's mom. I think Mrs. Vanderwaal is going to stay with family in Philadelphia for a few days."

My mom and uncle were close so that didn't surprise me. I am glad there was family she could still go to for support.

"At least Alison wasn't there. It would have been bad if she had come," Spencer said. Aria nodded her head in agreement and I as well.

"I think Mike would have done something if she had shown up with that smug look on her face. I had to stop him from going after her the other day," informed Aria. Spencer just nodded and I was taken aback at how angry by former boyfriend had become.

"Does he think Alison killed Mona?" Spencer asked as she looked at Aria.

"He won't say it but I think he does. That is what makes me so scared because I am afraid he might do something and get in real trouble." I could see the fear on Aria's face and I felt guilty for bringing Mike into this even though I had tried to push him away.

"God this is so messed up. Alison wouldn't even leave behind a body to bury," Spencer declared as she rubbed her eyes.

"At least we know she's "A" now. And once we figure out the clues Mona left behind for us, we can take her down along with whoever is helping her."

"What clues?" I asked as I looked at them by surprise. Now I was really curious since I didn't know what they were talking about.

"If we can figure them out; Mona didn't exactly make them easy for us and we don't know what they lead to. At least "A" doesn't know about them or is just as confused as we are." I could hear the slight annoyance in Spencer's tone and I had to smile at that.

I don't remember leaving any clues and what they would lead to. Once again, there was one big hole in my memory and that annoyed the hell out of me. I am not surprised that I left something behind to help the girls since I always covered my bases but I had no clue what it was. I was somewhat glad I had made them difficult since meant that the girls would have to think for a change.

"Don't you mean Alison? I thought we all agreed that she is "A"" Aria said and the venom dripped from her mouth. At least one thing didn't change from my death was that everyone still considered Alison the enemy.

"She may be "A" but she has a helper and he or she is doing all the work. Alison is no computer expert and I don't see her getting her hands dirty when Mona was murdered. We have to find out who her partner is." It was because of thinking like this that Spencer was the leader of the pack.

This was why I hit her the hardest since I knew she was almost as smart as I was. The other three always followed her lead and I knew if I can cause problems for Spencer, then they would be lost without her. Sure they might do some sleuthing on their own, but when it came to coordination it was Spencer who did that.

If I was still alive, me and Spencer would have been great together in taking down Alison.

Eventually the discussion turned to girl drama and I decided to tune them out because I was in no mood for it. I remember those long nights listening to that crap when I was holed up in Spencer's closet with a notebook. I did find it interesting though that Aria recently had a pregnancy scare and that Ezra suggested they take it more slowly. I also found it interesting that he was back at Rosewood High to support the girls.

Something outside caught my eye and I looked out the window to see someone in black clothing sneaking around Alison's house. Looking back at the girls and seeing that they were too immersed in their own drama to pay attention to their surroundings, I decided to check it out on my own given that I had nothing to fear since I was dead.

Heading out the door and downstairs, I ignored Melissa who was on the couch reading a book and just headed outside by going through any object in my way. There was some advantage in being dead since it meant that there were no obstacles to get in my way. I made my way outside to where I last saw the figure in black.

It didn't take me long to find the person and I immediately knew that he was not working for "A" unless Alison lowered her standards for membership. It was definitely a guy since no one was that flat and the black clothing he wore had the school insignia all over it. He looked like a common thief who was about to break into Alison's house. The large metal baseball bat he carried looked like it would do some damage.

I was about to walk away when he turned and I saw who it was. I was surprised since I instantly knew who it was and my jaw dropped. I found myself saying his name out loud.

"Mike?"

**Please R&R! I am also still looking for a Beta Reader so sorry if there is any errors since Spell and Grammar Check can do only so much.**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

**A Big Thanks to Paraddicted for the editing- You Rock!**

Of all the people I did not want to see right now, Mike was at the top of my list just below my mother and Hanna.

Unlike my feelings of lust for Noel Kahn, there had been only genuine affection for Mike. He was one of the only honest things in my life besides my mother and Hanna. I had been in love with Mike Montgomery before my death and when Aria told me that Mike felt the same for me as I him, I had been ecstatic.

As I watched him look through the windows of Alison's house, I had a sense of dread on what he was about to do. From what I overheard of Spencer's and Aria's conversation, I knew he was not taking my death well and given his mental state, it wasn't a surprise that he would want revenge on my behalf. I wondered where he learned that Alison was responsible for my death; probably overhearing a conversation with Aria and one of the other girls.

Making sure that no one was home, he walked over to one of the side windows and looked around to see if the coast was clear, before smashing the glass with his bat. The window was on a side of the house facing away from the neighbors so there was nothing to draw any attention. After clearing the glass from the window, he climbed inside the house.

I followed him by going through the wall and watched as he used the bat to smash any picture of Alison he could see. It didn't matter if it was a family photo or a single picture of her, anything with Alison's face was a target. I saw Mike's face as he swung that bat and the rage that I saw gave me a chill; which was funny since I wasn't supposed to feel anything.

Once he was done with the front room, he headed to the stairs with me closely behind him.

I knew where he was going. It didn't take a genius to see that he was heading to Alison's room. During my days as "A", I frequently broke into this house to leave Alison messages. When I forced her to flee, I continued coming here to steal her secrets up until the house was sold to Maya's family.

"Mike, please stop this," I pleaded though I knew he couldn't hear me.

I didn't want him in this. Once he entered what was going on, there was no going back. If Alison was "A" then her retaliation would be terrifying if she found out about what Mike had done. Worse, she might take her rage out on one the girls thinking they did it. My only hope was that "A" was watching the girls right now and not what was going on here in the house.

Mike stopped in front of Alison's bedroom door and tried to open it. Finding it locked, he gave the door a hard kick and kept kicking until the door splintered where the lock was. The force behind the kick must have been something because his foot nearly went through the wood itself. Finally the door gave way and he pushed it open, heading in with me closely behind.

One thing anyone who enters Alison's room can immediately tell, was how self-centered she really was. Not only were there photos of her everywhere, but even in group photos, she was always the main focus. Items of clothing littered her room, all fancy and expensive. Jewelry lay scattered across her vanity station, gifts, I had no doubt from her many admirers.

What I found both surprising and comforting was the lack of any photos of the girls in Alison's room. It seemed that even Alison recognized that her former friends were never coming back into her orbit and there wasn't a trace of their presence in her room. Some of the new photos showed Alison's new posse, girls who had been at the bottom of the social ladder when I had been still alive. I pitied them a lot.

There was a sniffle and I could see tears forming in his eyes as he swung the bat as hard as he could against anything that was in distance. Pictures were broke and mirrors were shattered. Things that could not be broken were knocked to the ground and I watched as Alison's jewelry joined the mess of glass and wood, scattered across the floor. Mike just kept swinging until nothing was left untouched. He then collapsed onto his knees, breathing hard and crying. My heart broke, and guilt flooded through me. Him being here was my fault.

A few minutes passed before he composed himself to get back up. I thought he was done but he had one thing left to do. Taking a can of spray paint out of the pocket of his shirt, he sprayed "Murderer" in red over Alison's bed so that it was the first thing she saw when she entered the room. It was a pretty bold claim on top of a brutal act of revenge.

And it was all because of me.

I watched him leave, slinking off into the darkness. I wondered if I should follow him but decided it wouldn't matter if I did. As a ghost, I was powerless to act and nothing would change that. A part of me desperately wanted to help and repair the damage that my death created.

There had to be a reason why I was still here.

As I headed back to Spencer's house, I watched as Aria walked out the door and to her car. Even though it was useless, I glared at her for leaving Mike alone and not keeping an eye on him so that he wouldn't make stupid mistakes like he had tonight. If I had the power, I'd warn her right away and made sure she'd stick to him like glue.

Melissa was still on the couch and fast asleep when I came through the wall since doors were meaningless to me. Looking at her, I noticed that she once again had cut her hair, a ring on her finger led me to concluded that she and Wren had finally tied the knot. I wasn't sure which of them to feel most sorry for.

I headed upstairs and into Spencer's room where I found her sitting on her chair, reading a book. The window was closed and locked, a wise precaution, and the curtains were drawn so that no one could see into the room. The book looked like it was from school and I concluded that she was doing homework.

"I am dead and you are doing homework, terrific," I said out loud. I was angry, not only because of what was happening with Mike but that after three months, the girls had done nothing to solve my murder.

When Alison's supposed murder had been the mystery, these girls had spent a great amount of time trying to solve it. From what I now knew, they hadn't even found my body yet, much less proved who had killed me. I had to agree that Alison herself didn't commit the deed since she would never have gotten her hands dirty, but the girls should have at least zeroed in on possible suspects for her partner.

I was getting angry.

My hands curled into fists and as my anger rose, the lights began to flicker all over the room. Spencer glanced up at the ceiling, and got up from the chair to check the bulbs one by one. As I watched her, I remembered reading that ghosts had the ability to affect the atmosphere around them by disrupting electronics. I wondered if I could use that to my advantage.  
>There was a knock at the door and Spencer called out "Who is it?"<p>

"It's me. Mom called to say that she and dad are going to stay at the club for a while so they'll be home late. I'm heading to bed, do you need anything before I go?" Melissa asked through the door. I poked by head through the wall and she looked like she was sincere.

Contrary to what Spencer believed, Melissa really did care about her sister. I had seen that during my observations and there were times I could have used that to my advantage but my relationship with Melissa always stopped me. We weren't friends but uneasy allies united against one common enemy. Alison.

"No thanks. I am just going to go to bed." Spencer called out without opening the door.

"Okay. Goodnight!" Melissa turned to head downstairs to the barn. Before she had gone too far, Spencer opened her door and poked out her head out.

"Hey Melissa? Thanks for backing me up in the car." Spencer said and to me, she seemed genuinely grateful to Melissa.

"Mona deserves justice and I am glad you see that." was all Melissa said as she just kept walking. I could see that Spencer wasn't sure how to respond, but I was touched.

Melissa had always known about me being "A" right from the beginning. She only confronted me about it once, when Ian died because she thought I had done it. She was angry and threatened to reveal everything, until I proved to her that it wasn't me. It was a miracle that Melissa even believed me and I was glad that I didn't have to resort to blackmail to keep her quiet.

I wondered if she knew why I was doing it and let me continue without intervening. I was telling the girls the truth when I said it was all about anger, but that was only half the reason why I was torturing them. The other was that I wanted them to see who Alison really was, and all of the things she did when she was their leader. By making them stronger, I knew that Alison would no longer be able to wield the power she had over them, she wouldn't be able to pull their strings like a great puppet master.

And I succeeded but at the cost of my life.

Spencer undressed and got into bed, she shut off the lamp next to her bed and the room was enveloped in darkness. I sat on the chair and got comfortable, I could hear her breathing in the dark while she tried to fall asleep. An hour must have gone by before I could hear soft snores telling me that she was finally asleep.

There was a sense of nostalgia as I just sat in the darkness. There were many times that I hid in Spencer's closet until she was asleep before sneaking out. It had been exhilarating at the time, to be so close to her and not be detected; to watch and record her most private moments without her knowing.

It was satisfying that I, Loser Mona, could wield so much power over those who had hurt me.

But those days were now gone and I was dead now, my future uncertain. It was bad enough to know that there was an afterlife, and that I had wasted my life when I was alive; but it was worse knowing that I was stuck here for a reason I still did not know. Whoever I saw in the Church could have at least left a guide book on being dead.

"This sucks!" I yelled and in my rage, I kicked the book Spencer had left on the floor when she had finished reading. When it moved, I gasped.

Before I had a chance to explore or think of an explanation as to what just happened, the doorbell rang and I started as Spencer jumped up and grabbed a robe to cover the short-sleeved shirt and boxers she wore to bed. I was standing in front of the door and couldn't move in time so she went right through me.

"What the hell?!" Spencer asked as she shivered as if she was cold. I had heard on television that ghosts emitted cold spots, and by the look of Spencer's reaction, it was true.

Another thing for me to explore.

Shaking her head, Spencer rushed downstairs and I followed closely behind. She got to the door before Melissa and made sure she was completely covered before opening it. We were both surprised to see the police standing there, more specifically Tanner and another officer.

"Hello Spencer; how are you tonight?" Tanner asked with that smile she always wore.

"Sleepy; what do you want?" I was surprised by Spencer's rudeness but understandable given that she had been arrested by a murder she didn't commit. Tanner didn't seem offended in the slightest if anything, smile widened even more.

"There was a break in next door at the DiLaurentis place and I was wondering if you or your family saw anything?" Tanner inquired as if Spencer actually knew anything. I sighed and cursed Mike for his rashness.

"What's going on Spence?" Melissa asked as she came from behind us. I was once again caught off guard and she passed through me, shivering like Spencer had done before. I could definitely use this to my advantage.  
>"Someone broke into Alison's house and Tanner thinks we were involved." Spencer answered sarcastically.<p>

"I didn't say that. I am just here to see if anyone saw anything. Apparently someone went to great lengths to vandalize Alison's room and left quite a mess. Did either of you hear anything?" The way she asked seemed to me that this was more than a simple inquiry.

Before Spencer or Melissa could answer, I watched a very angry Veronica Hastings show up with Peter right behind her. She looked ticked off, and I fought the urge to step back as she made her presence known to the four people at the doorway. Peter looked just as angry, and I could see him pulling out his phone for some reason.

"What is going on here?" demanded Mrs. Hastings, sounding angrier as she looked. I knew this tone well since I have seen it on my own mother when she got protective of me.

"Alison's house got broken into and the police think we had something to do with it." Melissa answered before Spencer and Tanner could speak.

"Again, I am not accusing anyone here of anything. I am simply asking your daughters if they saw anything." Tanner said, dropping the smile and sounded annoyed.

"Since when do homicide detectives answer robbery calls?" Spencer asked, rather b*** about it in my opinion. I had to smile though since this was when I found her the most amusing.

"Watch your tone Spence. But she is right, why are you here for this?" inquired a very irate Peter in full father and lawyer mode.

"Given recent events, my partner and I feel that everything that happens around here might be connected." the police officer responded rather testy. I had to nod in agreement since she was technically right.

"Well my daughters are not involved with anything that went on tonight at that house. So take your questions somewhere else. Goodnight!" said Mr. Hastings as he and his wife pushed their way through and into the house. He then slammed the door in the police's faces which surprised all of us.

"I am filing a complaint in the morning. I am getting tired of this." Peter said as he hung up his coat. Both daughters didn't seem how to respond and even Veronica looked concerned on how her husband was acting. I however wasn't surprised since I had heard about his temper before from my own sources.

"Calm down. You'll have another heart attack, and none of us want to go through that scare again. Let's just head to bed and deal with everything in the morning." Veronica said and everyone nodded and made their way to bed. It was another few minutes before silence was once again in the house.

I had a pretty good idea why Spencer's parents got back together now since they had been separated when I was last alive. I was once again curious to what else has happened since I reappeared in this ghost form. While I couldn't directly ask, overhearing conversations was now easier.

I retook my seat, in the darkness of Spencer's room and listened to her sleep, I thought about what to do tomorrow. I realized that I had no clue what day it was and I wondered if there was school tomorrow. I was planning to follow Spencer around, but there was hesitation on going with her to school. I wasn't yet ready to see and hear reactions to my death even if it was months later.

At least until I knew what I was going to do.

**Please R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

The most annoying this about being dead was the boredom.

As I sat in the darkness of Spencer's room and tried to read an open book by the faint light coming in from the window, I found that I could moving my hand through the pages, it created a faint draft that could move them. It helped relieve some of the boredom, although Spencer had lousy taste in reading material.

There were no fashion magazines, her books were mostly from school, and the little fictional content she had was stuff I had read before. There was nothing foreign in her room and I longed to read something in French. If I wasn't so afraid of going home, I'd get some stuff from my room.

That is if I could figure out how to transport it all.

After a few hours, the sun began to rise and light started creeping into the room. I watched the sunrise from the window and saw that the cops were still at Alison's house despite the early hour. There were a few officers standing around and drinking coffee, but there was no sign of any of the DiLaurentis family lurking about. Though I didn't appreciate what Mike did, I couldn't help but smirk at the thought of Alison suffering in some way.

When it hit 6:30 am, I expected an alarm, but when 7:20 am came around, I realized that it must be the weekend; possibly Sunday. I knew from my own observations that Spencer always slept in on Sundays so it would be a few more hours until she got up. Not wanting to wait on her, I decided to see if anyone else was up.

Walking through Spencer's door and into the hallway, I could hear the sounds of activity downstairs and decided to check it out. As I walked down the steps, I heard sounds from the television and saw Peter Hastings in a blue robe drinking coffee on the couch, while watching the news. Veronica was next to him reading the newspaper, dressed in a silky white robe. It was definitely a Sunday since those two always took Sundays off.

"Nothing about what happened next door so far. I wonder if they'll mention it?" Peter wondered as he muted the sound and flipped to another news channel.

The news anchors were covering a car accident that had happened in Brookhaven. It had been a while since I had been there, and I had loved a particular doll shop in that town. Come to think of it, I missed my dolls, they had always given me comfort when I was sad. I think I could use them now more than ever.

"I don't doubt that they will. Every time something happens to Alison, it makes the news." Veronica muttered and I could hear resentment in her voice.

"At least there are only a few more months until Spencer graduates. Then she is off to college and out of this town." said Spencer's father, almost as if he believed what he just said.

The idea of any of the girls leaving without ridding themselves of "A" was laughable at best. If "A" was willing to start killing to keep the game going, then he/she was not going to let the girls leave Rosewood. As it stood, the girls were never going to college unless they got their butts in gear, and started solving the mysteries in this town.

"She's not going anywhere as long as she is a suspect in Bethany Young's murder. Until she is cleared, Spencer is stuck here." Veronica stated angrily. So Spencer was still a suspect in Bethany's murder; that was some new information for me.

"Which is why we should consider helping Leona with her lawsuit. If she can prove that little scamp Alison murdered her daughter then it breaks the police's case against our daughter." The way Peter said that only meant one thing; he was in full on lawyer mode now.

"If we help her then it will look like a conflict of interest and hurt the case." argued Veronica, her tone matching Peter's.

"I didn't say that we help her directly. We have resources and contacts that we could put in Leona's path, who could help her without being linked back to us. Right now we are at war with that family next door, and a second opening in our favor would help us in the long run." Peter argued back. Watching them go back and forth was interesting to watch. I sat at the end of the couch, glancing between them as they continued to argue.

"So you're calling this a war? I thought we were trying to save our daughter?" Veronica's voice was starting to rise and I wondered if they had forgotten that Spencer's room was right above where they were talking.

"This is a war for our daughter's future! I will do anything I can to make sure she gets a happy life and that she doesn't pay for my mistakes!"  
>It was kind of touching that Spencer's father was so adamant about protecting her and Melissa; it was a shame that Spencer never understood how far her father was willing to go to protect her.<p>

"I know, and everyone in this family understands that. There is just so much to lose right now, and I am afraid that making the wrong move could cost Spencer." said a very worried Veronica.

It was interesting that both of them were so focused on Spencer and not on Melissa, it seemed like Melissa was in the clear. When it came to secrets in this family, Melissa's could send her to jail in a heartbeat. Some of them I knew because I helped cover them up, and others I could only speculate.

"I texted a friend last night and he says that there is yet to be a warrant drawn up on anything to do with Spencer. We have to act now so that the police are distracted, Alison as well before she can't make up any more lies about our daughter." coaxed Peter gently.

"What do you want to do?" asked Veronica, accepting her husband's plan to intervene. There was reluctance in her voice but she seemed convinced for now.

"We both have people in the private investigation field that owe us favors. We use those favors to help Leona dig up information about Alison. Since Spencer told us the truth about Alison not really being kidnapped, the investigators can provide the proof that she is a liar."

It was a pretty sound plan and it had a lot of potential to succeed since there was always a trail to be found when it came to Alison. This would cause some headaches for Alison and her family which brought a smile to my face. That smile faded though when I realized that my mother was the one who was suffering right now, because I was no longer with her.

There was a sound from behind and I looked to see Spencer stroll in, covered in her robe, one hand in front of her mouth to block her yawn. She looked half-asleep and would remain that way until her first cup of coffee. I was surprised that she was up, and wondered if something was going on since I missed some of the conversation she had with Aria last night.

Both her parents had stopped talking as soon as she entered but I don't think Spencer noticed at all given her condition. She passed right through me and shivered afterwards; I really needed to figure out how to use that to my advantage. It was another minute after she put some caffeine in her system that Spencer became coherent.

"Morning sweetie; how did you sleep?" asked Spencer's mother, with a smile.

"Fine, but I keep thinking about how there was nothing to bury yesterday and that Mona's body is still out there." Spencer said before taking another sip of her coffee. I was touched that I was fresh on her mind.

Unlike the past deaths in this town, it seemed that my murder was causing quite the impact even after all this time. I guess I was the new Alison in terms of being the famous case being investigated. But unlike Alison, I was really dead and would not turn up out of the blue with someone else being buried in my grave.

I wasn't sure what to think about that.

"The police will find her body and her killer. You just need to focus on your future right now." Peter said and I just snorted out loud.

"Did you guys forget which daughter you are talking to right now?" I asked both of them even though they couldn't hear me. The idea of Spencer letting this go to focus on her future was laughable

"What are your plans for today? Your father and I are taking Melissa to meet Wren at the airport. Did you want to come with us?" Veronica asked, changing the subject before an argument broke out. I caught a trace of resentment when Wren's name was mentioned, it appeared that Melissa's new husband was a sore subject.

"No, my friends are coming over so that we could all study for a test." The way Spencer said that, I had no doubt she was not envying her parents since Melissa wasn't the only one who was connected to Wren. "Have fun." She added after a beat.

There was little activity after that with the various Hastings doing random things like eating breakfast and dressing for the day. I did learn some new things; Peter had taken some time off from his firm because of his heart attack, as well as the fact that Melissa and Wren had eloped in England. It was implied that particular news was what cause Peter's heart attack in the first place.

I just stood back and watched, taking in my new life as a real watcher, only this time I was completely undetectable.

It was about noon when Melissa and her parents left for Philadelphia. Spencer waved them by, when the car was out if sight she rushed back inside and smartly locked the door. Not just locked, but applied the deadbolt too so that no one could pick the lock; she also made sure the rest of the house was locked up. I wondered if my murder changed how the girls made sure they were safe when they were alone.

It was another hour before there was a knock at the door, and I watched as Spencer let the rest of the girls into the house before locking up behind them. They had arrived bringing coffee and treats, looking solemn. Hanna looked especially distraught but fine in that pair of tight jeans and black blazer.

"How'd you sleep?" asked Emily as they all gathered in the front room. She sat next to Hanna on the love seat while Aria and Spencer were on the couch. I sat in the empty chair that was the farthest from them.

"Better than I thought; Mona kept haunting my dreams though," Spencer said and she actually seemed sad.

"Me too," Hanna said, both Aria and Emily nodded in agreement. I was kind of happy that my death was causing an impact on them since it meant that maybe they will finally get their butts in gear.

"It's funny; Mona's been dead for months but I didn't feel she was really gone until the funeral yesterday. It was like when Ali first disappeared; I had always believed she was dead, but it wasn't until we were all at the funeral that I felt she was really gone," Aria declared sounding like she was speaking from her heart.

"You're right; I thought so too. I almost thought that this was all one of her schemes and she was safe somewhere just laughing at everyone," Emily said, and from her tone I figured that she really had believed that at one time. I wasn't sure whether to be offended or not.

"I was actually hoping that, that actually happened. That this was all part of the plan to rid us of Alison forever," laughed Hanna.

"Yeah….well she's dead. And Alison killed her," Aria stated, changing the tone of the conversation.

"Or at least her partner did. Is Ezra sure it wasn't Cece?" Spencer asked Aria. I was wrong; it seems they had been investigating my death, and getting help doing it for once. These girls had a problem of not utilizing their resources in their loved ones; which had added to my advantage, when I was still in charge of the game.

"No. Ezra says that the cops in France had Cece in custody when Mona was murdered," Aria answered, shaking her head.

"It could have been Noel; we know Alison has something on him to make him do her dirty work." suggested Emily, as she grabbed a pastry.

"It couldn't have been Noel. We all saw him after it happened, he didn't have a scratch on him. Her house was a mess which means Mona put up a fight and hurt whoever killed her," Spencer reminded everyone. I wasn't surprised that I put up a fight I just wished that I could remember it.

It was bad enough waking up dead and a ghost, unable to physically do anything to my surroundings. But to not remember those last moments of your life was what really sucked. I couldn't remember anything of importance, which meant that even if I gained the power to communicate with the living, I was useless.

"But why take the body? After all these months, it still hasn't turned up," Aria said and I was curious about that too.

"Because Mona fought back…duh. She probably has whoever killed her's DNA all over her. I am willing to bet that some of all that blood was Mona's murderer," Hanna said, and it was such an intelligent thing to say that I was proud it came from her.  
>The thought of my corpse all bloody gave me chills though.<p>

"So who's left? Shana's dead. Jenna and Sydney would never have done it. None of Alison's new friends are that bad. Lucas is just as angry about Mona's death as we are. Melissa hates Alison, and wasn't in town when it happened. The same for Jason. There is just no one left to think of," Emily said and I heard the frustration in her voice.

"Unless it was someone we haven't met. Alison was gone for two years; who knows how many friends she made while she was away," Spencer stated.

"Like Cyrus; we don't know anything about him so for all we know, he is still around and helping Alison," Hanna said.

"Cyrus is wanted for kidnapping so I think he's gone and far away from Rosewood as possible," Emily countered. I agreed since Alison couldn't risk Cyrus being captured and spilling the beans on her fake kidnapping.

"Think he's dead? If Alison was willing to go all the way and murder Mona, I'd think Cyrus would be an afterthought," Aria declared. That thought had occurred to me as well, and I wondered if I bothered to find out when I had been still alive.

"Maybe. We're going to need help when it comes to digging up what Alison was doing the last couple of years. Is Ezra and Caleb on board?" Spencer asked Aria and Hanna. Both girls nodded. "Good. That means we can focus on the clues that Mona left us and hope it leads us to something we can use."

"It will. It's because of Mona that you aren't in jail right now," Hanna pressed while giving Spencer a slight glare.

"Really? How?" I asked out loud, forgetting that they couldn't hear me.

"I know and I am grateful that she taped me going back to the barn with a shovel that wasn't bloody. Also that she had the foresight to hide the tape so that we could show it to the police. I'd just wish her clues would make a little more sense," Spencer stated, but she did sound grateful for once.

A memory suddenly came to mind and I had a flash of the night Alison vanished. I remember taping Spencer leaving the barn, and grabbing the shovel. I continued taping her until she met up with Alison, and then when she reentered the barn. I had also focused on the shovel and, the fact that Spencer had dropped it on her way back to the other girls.

Leaving it behind had been smart apparently, and I was curious to what else I had out there that wasn't stolen by A.

"Mona was different and we should have trusted her more," Hanna said and I heard the regret in her voice. "Maybe we would have ended this "A" mess for good." I was both elated and saddened by what she had said.

"I know. When we worked with her, sneaking into Radley, seemed like we were actually doing something important instead of just reacting to "A"," Spencer frustratingly said.

"So what do we do now? I still don't get this new clue. "E.T". What the heck does that mean?" asked Aria, switching subjects.

"No clue. I asked her mother if it meant anything to her but I think she's as too out of it to think properly. She asked if I wanted to look through any of Mona's things in case I wanted anything," Hanna announced. Spencer's head jerked in Hanna's direction.

"What did you say? This is the chance we need to see if what we are looking for is in her room," Spencer argued and I swear she sounded like her father right now.

"I am not going back there. I am not about to look through Mona's stuff like a scavenger, and I still can't over seeing all that blood," Hanna argued back and looking enraged.

"A is playing bloody game now and we all have to be careful. She is killing people and there still people in our lives we have to protect," interjected Aria, no doubt to help Spencer prove her case. Hanna didn't look convinced.

I couldn't blame her. I still wasn't over the fact that I was dead, the fact that someone was going to go through my stuff felt morbid to me. I may have left a clue in my stuff at home but it still didn't make it right. I kept thinking of my poor mother, and the fact that she didn't know what to do with my things now.

"I'll come with you. Maybe Paige too. You don't have to be alone in this Hanna. You aren't alone." Emily said taking Hanna's hand and clasping it between her own. I was instantly jealous that Emily could hold Hanna's hand while I could not.

Before Hanna could respond, there was a knock at the front door which startled all of us. The girls looked at each other, and Spencer stood up and slowly walking to the door, trying to see who it was. I just rolled my eyes and moved past her to see who it was myself, my eyes widened as a voice rang out.

"Spencer Hastings? This is the Rosewood Police."

**Please R&R and a big thanks to Paraddicted for the Pre-Read!**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

**I once again want to thank my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read!**

I rolled my eyes as Officer Toby was tackled by his girlfriend.

Only in Rosewood could one join the police force, and be a full fledge officer in only a few months.

While Toby was a step up from Wilden and Garret, it was still laughable that he made it on the force given that the Jenna thing was still on his record. He was, of course, innocent, but until the truth came out he would always be guilty of Alison's prank. Then again, maybe the police never really believed his involvement because Wilden knew the truth, and had probably wrote it down somewhere.

Toby was quickly let in, and scolded for scaring everyone. I had to admit he did look good in the uniform, but it still just seemed weird to me. He had been working with me at one time in targeting the girls, and some of the stuff we did, Toby should be behind bars. Then again, he does provide another valuable resource for the girls.

"Thanks for going to the funeral; I'm sure Mona would have appreciated it," Hanna said. I was more surprised than thankful, given our history.

"I saw the crime scene photos, she shouldn't have died like that," Toby stated, a trace of anger and sadness in his tone.

"How did I die?" I asked out loud. No matter how much I thought about it, I could not remember what happened to me. Was I stabbed? Was I shot? All I knew was that whatever happened to me left behind a lot of blood.

"So is there anything new with the investigation?" Emily asked. The other girls looked at Toby for a response.

"No. Mona's mother came by the station today to show how mad she is that there still isn't a body to bury. This time her brother was with her, and he ranted that he was going to the national media to complain," Toby answered while shaking his head.

"That's right…I forgot; Mona's mother is going to sue Alison," Spencer announced, and I swear everyone else's jaw dropped.

"For what?" asked a disbelieving Aria.

"Mona's murder; she thinks Alison did it," Spencer answered.

"But there's no proof she did it; there was already an investigation," Emily informed with skepticism.

"Legally maybe; but I was thinking about it last night that Mrs. Vanderwaal might be able to prove it civilly," Spencer stated, enthusiasm evident in her voice.

"Again…..how?" Hanna asked with even more skepticism. I was also curious as well.

"The only reason Mona died was because of Alison's bullying. If Alison hadn't bullied Mona, then Mona would never have cracked and become "A" therefore she'd still be alive because none of this would have happened," Spencer explained earnestly. It was a bit of a stretch, but well thought out none the less.

"But how is she going to prove that in court?" Toby asked, not sure if he agreed with his girlfriend.

"There are school records detailing Alison's behavior before she went into hiding. There are also Mona's Radley Files which probably go into what Alison did to her. Melissa hates Alison and I'm sure she can get Wren to testify for Mrs. Vanderwaal in court. There are teachers who still hate Alison, and would tattle on her in court. So the bullying part is covered. On proving that Alison is guilty of Mona's death because of the bullying, I think Mrs. Vanderwaal would probably have that already covered," Spencer informed as if she were giving a report in class.

"Why would you think Mrs. Vanderwaal would have that covered?" asked a obviously confused Aria. The others also seemed inquisitive about that as well.

"I'm hoping it's because she is Mona's mother. We all have traits that we share with our parents and Mona is no different. I mean how much do we really know about Leona Vanderwaal? Other that she was a single mother who raised Mona by herself and is the wealthiest person in town," Spencer put out there.

Though my mother never flaunted our wealth and taught me the same, I always knew we were the richest people in Rosewood. My family was what they called "Old Money" and we had plenty of it. I knew that my mother had a career in Government work before she had me, but I never bothered to find out what. We could have shared traits that I never had thought of.

"Mona was Hannibal Lector smart, so maybe Mrs. V is too. I just never really considered her that way because she is always so nice," Hanna stated, looking as if she were recalling memories. My mom really didn't like Hanna in the beginning, because of Alison, but eventually warmed to her over time.

"I'm hoping so since her lawsuit would help us a lot," Spencer stated.

"I see where you're going; a lawsuit would keep Alison distracted, and information that we didn't know could come out and help us find out whose helping her," Emily reasoned. The way she seemed so enthusiastic about it, Emily was definitely on the Anti-Ali train.

"This is a war and Mrs. Vanderwaal just opened a second front for us," Spencer said, unconsciously echoing her father earlier.

"So should we help with the trial? I'd be all too happy to testify against Alison," Hanna stated, almost gleeful in my opinion. Emily was also nodding her head while Aria seemed a little more hesitant.

"Well she asked my parents if Melissa and I would. I am surprised that you guys weren't asked already," Spencer said.

"Unless she just went to our parents, and they haven't told us yet," Aria suggested with a shrug.

"But why wouldn't they tell us if Mrs. Vanderwaal did go to them?" Emily asked and I was unsure of the answer.

"Because they're afraid obviously. More people have died in this town last year than anytime that I remember. Our parents are probably trying to keep us safe by making sure that we are out of the line of fire," Aria argued and I saw her point.

"But we are already in the line of fire because of "A" and this trial won't change that. Maybe we should be in the limelight and get everything out there," Hanna argued back.

"I think we should just concentrate on finding Alison's partner but keep an eye on the trial in case something new is revealed. If things start to go south for Mona's mother, we step in and help," Emily reasoned, trying to act like the mother and prevent a fight from breaking out.

Spencer might be the brains and leader of the group, but Emily was definitely the mother who protected the flock. She was always there to be the shoulder that the girl's cried on; something that I had made her out to be. I was kind of proud of that, since it made her the strong one rather than the weakest a few years ago.

"Are the police still investigating Alison?" Spencer asked Toby who had stayed silent throughout the exchange.

"Yes, but only because Mona's tape disproved Alison's story though not completely. Technically it wasn't proven that she lied but they are still looking at all of you," Toby informed with a frown.

"So that just means that we have to multi-task. Some of us look for Mona's clues, while the rest focus on who finding out who Alison's partner is," suggested Spencer in that take-charge tone of hers. I smiled that these girls were finally getting organized.

"Ezra's been digging into Alison more and more, so we can handle the research part," informed Aria; the rest of the girls nodded.

"Paige and Lucas have managed to sway some of the kids at school that Alison had something to do with Mona's death so I can ask her to keep an eye on Alison, as well as her new group of friends," Emily volunteered. It didn't surprise me that Alison managed to get a new group of girls to become her dolls.

"Me and Caleb will handle the clues then; I'll let him come with me to visit Mona's mother since maybe he will see something I don't," Hanna said reluctantly.

"Toby and I will focus on the police investigation, and the lawsuit to see if anything new comes up," Spencer said, concluding the assignments. The rest of the girls nodded and looked like they were ready to leave.

"By the way, did anyone hear anything strange at the funeral yesterday?" Hanna asked the group as they made their way to the door to leave.

"No; why?" asked Aria as she opened the door.

"Caleb said he kept hearing talking and other stuff from the back of the church. I didn't hear anything but I thought you guys might have,"  
>Hanna answered offhandedly. This perked my interest, and I now had a reason to visit Caleb. Of course it could be nothing but I was desperate for anything at this point.<p>

"I didn't hear anything except Mona's cousins who were texting during the service," Emily muttered and I wasn't surprised.

Everyone left, leaving Toby and Spencer alone in the house. As they embraced on the couch and cuddled, I sighed since this probably meant that some Spoby action was about to happen. I always found the couple moments that the girls had with their significant others the most annoying, back when I was the only one watching them. I just hoped that they wouldn't have sex or I'd have to leave.

"You were Mona's partner for a while; did she have any spots where she could have left stuff to hide?" Spencer asked while resting her head on Toby's chest.

"Mona didn't trust anyone with her secrets, let alone me. If she had other spots, she never told me about them," Toby answered.

"This is just so messed up; the one person we needed, and Alison had to get rid of her," Spencer said in frustration.

"You are just as smart as Mona was; you'll figure it out," reassured Toby.

"Bite me Toby; I'll always be smarter than the lot of you," I said dryly. Of course they were all still alive while I was dead.

"So when is the family expecting to be home?" asked Toby, changing the subject. I was curious as well.

"Soon with Wren; both he and Melissa are staying in the barn for a few weeks," Spencer answered and I saw Toby get annoyed.

"Is that going to be a problem?" asked he asked, obviously jealous given Spencer's history with Wren.

"No, he is completely loyal to Melissa, and I now know she was the one who told him to date me for a reason I still don't know," Spencer said, and the anger resonated from her body.

"Found out about that huh?" I asked out loud and smirked. I had known about that secret for a long time and knew why Melissa had done the deed.

This was one of many skeletons in that particular closet.

"Do your parents know?" Toby inquired.

"If they do, they haven't mentioned it. I am just surprised that they are taking this all so well, given that they hate Wren," Spencer stated.

"With your arrest and your father's heart attack, maybe your parents just want the family close right now so they don't want to alienate anyone," suggested Toby, always the loving boyfriend. I did have to agree with him though since Hastings family loyalty was second to none.

"Well I am just hoping that he has some info on Mona, Alison, or Radley at this point. He is connected to that place," Spencer said and I watched as Toby nodded in agreement. I knew he did, but what it was came as a blank for me. I did know that he was Melissa's man on the inside, keeping an eye on me, and Jessica DiLaurentis when she was alive.

"How are you going to get it out of him?" asked Toby, a little suspicious.

"I am going to take a note out of Mona's book; blackmail," Spencer answered with a smirk that looked beautifully evil.

"Just be careful; we have enough enemies right now without making one of your sister and her husband," Toby cautioned.

I had to agree since these girls had a tendency not to mend fences when it was in their interest. When the new "A" took over, I was still treated like the enemy, even when it was clear that I could have helped. It was the same for Jenna and Sydney, since there were more pressing concerns than a feud that could have mended thus adding more allies against Alison.

"Speaking of enemies, I was surprised to see Jenna at the funeral," Spencer said. I wasn't since we were friends in a way.

"I wasn't; Jenna told me that she and Sydney were a part of Mona's Anti-Alison Army," Toby informed and Spencer looked shocked.

"Wait….Mona was working with Jenna?" asked a quite surprised Spencer.

"Mona was working with Jenna?" asked a quite surprised Spencer.

"That really shocks you Spencer?" I asked sarcastically while shaking my head. Enemies of Alison unite; and they did under me.

"Is that really surprising? Jenna and Mona had the biggest grudges against Alison; I'd be more shocked if they weren't working together." Toby stated and I nodded in agreement.

"I just never pictured them working together, especially with what happened, that fire that almost killed Jenna," Spencer stated.

"Do we actually know Mona started that fire?" Toby asked and Spencer was unsure.

I didn't start that fire, and it took me a while to convince Jenna of that. I even had to do a favor for her in order to make nice. I was always convinced that Melissa might have did the deed in order to pull Jenna's leash, which is why I rarely worked with the blind girl. Looking back at it now, I now wonder if Alison was responsible since she had yet to find out that I was "A".

They cuddled for another hour before Toby mentioned that he had to go. Before he could leave, the front door opened, and Spencer's family entered with Wren in tow. Peter looked apprehensive at first with Toby's uniform until he saw his face and became more relaxed.

"Toby, good to see you," Peter greeted shaking Toby's hand.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hastings," Toby greeted back, and he actually looked uncomfortable in my opinion. It was understandable though given Spencer's and Toby's complex relationship, when I was "A", I had the most fun screwing with Spoby.

Toby's eyes narrowed when he saw Melissa and Wren, which made sense given how the couple messed with Spencer in their war against Alison. Melissa really did love her sister, but her hatred of Alison consumed her more. Alison had cost Melissa a lot over the years, and I didn't doubt that the elder sister would ever forgive the blond.

"Are you staying for dinner?" asked Veronica, and Toby shook his head.

"No, I have to go. Pulling a double duty with Officer Barry tonight." Toby informed in an apologetic tone.

"Oh that's a shame; we would have loved to have had you." Peter said a little too enthusiastically in my opinion. I got the impression that this was a slight against Wren. Though the new husband didn't pick up on the slight, Melissa did and glared at her father.

Toby left a few minutes later, and I stood back and watched as the family unpacked and made small conversation. Given the history of the situation, I wasn't surprised to see Wren keep silent as well as being nervous around the parents. Melissa acted as his bodyguard while Spencer just hung back, occasionally glaring at him while helping her parents with the food. I was enjoying myself.

This was going to be a fun dinner.

**Please R&R!**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

Dinner was awkward to say the least.

There was such a wide distance between the married couples, it almost seemed like they were sitting at separate tables. Spencer was seated almost in the middle, a bit closer to her parents than Melissa and Wren. I was sitting in an empty chair off to the side, watching the scene in amusement.

It had been interesting watching Spencer, Melissa, and Veronica make dinner, while the husbands sat in silence in front of the television. Peter and Wren didn't say a word to each other while the basketball game was on, Wren looking like he wanted to run away. I wasn't sure who to feel sorry for, and was glad I wasn't a Hastings.

"How was Mona's funeral?" Wren asked, speaking for the first real time since he arrived at the Hastings household.

"Emotional," Spencer answered in a dry tone. Peter and Veronica glanced at one another, while Melissa looked irritated by the answer.

"I was sorry to hear about her death; I hope she is at peace now," Wren said sounding as if he meant it.

"Nope; I am definitely not at peace," I stated out loud heatedly, my anger starting to rise.

"I think Mona will be at peace once whoever murdered her is behind bars, like she belongs," Melissa said, giving Spencer a look. The tension was starting to rise and I found myself somewhat enjoying it.

"Well it was a shame that she died so very young; Mona was quite the talented girl who had a bright future," Wren stated and I could sense annoyance in his voice.

Wren was always loyal to Melissa and we were unlikely allies in our war against Alison. Wren had been an extension of that Alliance, and he had helped me out on more than one occasion. But in the end, Wren and Melissa had used me as cannon fodder, while conducting their own schemes for some goal that I only had my suspicions about.

"Maybe if Mona was sent to a better place to be treated, she might be still alive today. She was sick, and needed real help, not what was offered at Radley," Spencer argued, seeming to mimic her parents in their lawyer mode.

"A Sickness created by Alison DiLaurentis, and those who just stood by and let her do what she wanted," countered Wren, and I had a good idea what he meant by that.

"I don't think this is proper dinner conversation, so let's change the subject," Veronica suggested but seemed like more of an order in my opinion.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much of a conversation to be had after that exchange; just casual small talk that informed me that not only had Melissa and Wren had eloped in London, but that they now had moved into a house in Scotland which Wren had inherited. It was also apparent that they were planning on having children, and Melissa was going to take a local job as a lawyer, while Wren ran a private practice.

They had everything planned out; though I was curious to what unfinished business they had in Rosewood.

Eventually, everyone headed to their rooms for the rest of the night, and I hung out while Spencer was doing her homework. It was boring just watching her read, and I was tempted to go over to the barn to see what was going on there; Melissa and Wren were alone in there but I didn't want to walk in on them possibly having sex.  
>There was a knock at the door, and we were both surprised to see Hanna come in, shutting the door behind her.<p>

"Hey." Hanna said, as she sat down on the chair I had been sitting. I didn't move quickly enough and I passed through her slightly.

"Is it cold in here?" asked Hanna as she shivered.

"I don't know; I think there's a draft somewhere. What's up?" Spencer said, putting aside her book and leaning forward.

"Caleb's been using Mona's software to spy on the police. He thinks someone else has been hacking into the police too," Hanna explained.

"Alison's partner? We know he or she has to be the techie," Spencer stated, giving the conversation one hundred percent of her attention.  
>Spencer was right; if Alison was "A", and I guess I had found proof before I died, then she needed technical help since she was a dunce in computers.<p>

"Maybe but Caleb doesn't think so; he or she has been copying information on everything that the police have so far. Information that "A" would already have. He thinks that we are not the only ones investigating Mona's death," Hanna informed and that caught my attention since it meant that there was a possible third player out there.

"Maybe Lucas; he didn't take Mona's death well, he is also a good hacker," Spencer suggested in that thinking tone of hers.

"He would have a lot of time on his hands since he took the exit exams, and doesn't have to worry about school now," stated Hanna, nodding her head in agreement.

Lucas was always a loyal friend, though he never liked how I harassed the girls. He felt that I was taking my anger out on the wrong people and wanted out. So when I recruited Toby, I gave Lucas what he wanted, and even allowed the lie that I was blackmailing him to be fed to Hanna, so that they would be friends again. We were partners who understood that Alison was a monster.

So it didn't surprise me that he was going after Alison for revenge; though I wondered if he was doing it alone. Lucas was smart, and I could see him going rogue by starting his own group if he was the one who was doing the hacking. I wondered if he was working with Jenna and Sydney, since they would never let Alison get away with anything.  
>There was a war being waged and my death had started it.<p>

"Anything else?" Spencer asked.

"They found traces of Mona's blood in the trunk of that abandoned car found last week outside of town. The police are thinking that is how the body was transported," Hanna informed quietly with her head low.

"Are they searching the woods? "A" has buried bodies before," Spencer stated sarcastically.

"They did with dogs but got nothing," Hanna answered.

"I think you're right about Mona getting trace on her when she fought back; I think this might help us," Spencer said, sounding enthusiastic about it.

"Why?" asked the blond, clearly curious.

"Because he or she might have a record and maybe even has DNA on file; which would explain why Mona's body was disposed," Spencer answered and I nodded in agreement.

"Well I'll head back to Caleb's before going home. Mom thinks I am spending too many times staying the night. She's afraid I'll get pregnant," Hanna said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Actually, I always believed that either Spencer or Aria would be the ones who would get pregnant first out of the four.

"I'll think I will go with you," I said out loud, knowing that they wouldn't hear me anyways. Maybe looking over Caleb's shoulder would jog my memory since Spencer was beginning to become a dead end.

"By the way, did you get anything from your new brother-in-law?" Hanna asked, before leaving Spencer's room. I stayed off to the side in case she decided to step back into the room and through me. While I never felt anything going through people, I still found it awkward.

"We didn't get that far; I'm still angry that he used me, even if it was under Melissa's orders. I don't think I can hold a decent conversation with him right now," Spencer answered resentfully.

"Well bury it; he is our inside guy right now into Radley, and we need information on Bethany," Hanna said, almost making it an order.

"You kissed him once Hanna, I actually dated him so just give me time," Spencer said irritably. Hanna just shook her head, and I followed her out of the room. We kept going, passing an empty front room, and out of the house to her car. As Hanna got in the driver's seat, I climbed into the back seat where I felt the most comfortable right now.

While she drove, I just stared out the side window since I wasn't entirely sure what to do. I couldn't have a conversation with her, so talking to her was meaningless. It sucked that I couldn't even ask her to turn on some music; I couldn't remember the last time even listened to music or something with a beat.

It took about fifteen minutes before we reached the cabin where Caleb was staying. The light was on and we both got out of the car, heading inside.

"Caleb?" Hanna called out as we entered the cabin. If I were alive, the door would have gotten slammed in my face, I didn't resent Hanna for it though.

The cabin was a mess in my opinion, with papers and other things all over the place. An open laptop was on the table with empty soda cans next to it; it was turned off. The sink was clean of dishes, which was surprising, and I figured that he wasn't a total slob. I did wonder though if he was still drinking, since I had heard he did nothing but drink since he came back from Ravenswood.

I stood in the front area while she searched the place. Finding no one, Hanna sighed and pulled out her phone, typing something into it. I was guessing it was to Caleb because a beep was heard a minute later. The texting went on for several minutes before Hanna put her phone away and grabbed her stuff.

Since it was apparent that she was about to leave, I was in a bit of a bind. While spending the night here was less than idealistic, I wasn't about to walk all the way back to Spencer's just for family drama. Then again, maybe watching Caleb hack could jog my memory, of course yelling at him all the things I always wanted to call him could be fun as well.

So when Hanna left, I plopped on the least grungy chair and waited.

It was about half an hour before Caleb came home, bags of food in his hands. I watched as he put some of the stuff away in the fridge, and others in various cupboards. He still looked the same as when I last saw him, though a bit more cleaner in my opinion. I wondered if he was still in school or had taken the exit exams.

He turned on the laptop, unlocked it and then headed to the bedroom in the back to change.

Standing up, I walked over to the computer, and saw that it was still on the homepage; which sucked since I couldn't type anything to see what progress he had made. I couldn't even risk touching the computer, since it might short out something. I was glad though he was still using the software I gave him, since it meant that I would be able to follow his progress.

I was looking around when Caleb came into the room with his shirt off. He looked right at me, a surprised expression on his face. At first I just looked at him, expecting him to head towards the laptop next to me. But he kept staring at me with a bewildered expression until it dawned on me. He was looking straight at me.

"Mona?!" Caleb almost yelled and my jaw dropped.

"You can see me?" I asked, full of surprise and joy that someone could see me. I passed through the table and walked right up to him. He didn't back up at watching me go through a table but seemed even more surprise.

"You're a ghost," Caleb stated, not as bewildered as I would have thought. In fact it was kind of anticlimactic given the lack of vocal activity one would have if encountering a ghost.

"Okay you can see me but you're not freaking out," I said, now confused.

"Okay….wait, I have to sit down," Caleb said, pulling out the wooden chair from the table and sitting down. I just stood there as I watched as he closed his eyes and shook his head, before opening them and looking right at me.

"Have you been here all along?" he asked me, and I was still not sure why he was taking this so well.

"No; I woke up yesterday just outside the church. How can you see me? No one has been able to?" I asked, more demanding than asking.

"What do you mean "you woke up"? Caleb asked me, ignoring my question.

"I woke up. The last thing I remember was saying goodbye to my mother then waking up on the street. So if you are going to ask "who killed me?" then forget it because I want to know that too." I explained, irritably.

"What about what you found out about Bethany; Aria said you found something in her files that proves Alison is A?" He stated.

"I don't know either," I answered in defeat which surprised him even more.

"What do you mean?" Caleb inquired, now as confused as I was. I explained everything that had happened to me so far and he listened, staying silent the whole time. After I was done, his eyes widened and he shook his head in disbelief.

"Way different than what happened with Miranda," he said offhandly.

"Who's Miranda?" I asked, never hearing the name before.

"A girl I met in Ravenswood. She died and became a ghost," Caleb answered as if he were talking about the weather.

"Wait….what?" I asked, not sure what to make of that. I had heard he went to Ravenswood because he met another girl and dumped Hanna; or that was my wish anyways.

"It's a long story that I don't really want to tell you of all people right now. So you have no idea who killed you, and any information you had is just gone?" he asked incredulously. I got the sense that he didn't believe me.

"Yes, and don't you think I'd tell you everything I knew if it could lead to my killer, and bringing Alison down?" I asked sarcastically.

"You were never a person to trust Mona; for all I know, this could be some part of a larger scheme of yours," Caleb said dryly.

"I AM DEAD YOU TWIT! This isn't some stupid scheme because me being a ghost does nothing for my interests!" I screamed at him, cause him to step back.

The furniture moved, and everything electronically went haywire as my rage exploded. It was bad enough that I was dead and the only one who could see me was someone I hated, but to be accused of having some plan was going too far. One of the light bulbs blew and sparks flew everywhere, nearly causing a fire.

"Okay, l'm down. I believe you. You need to calm down," Caleb said, changing his tone to a soothing pitch. As my rage dissipated, everything started to calm down, to the point where things stopped moving and flickering.

"This is going to suck!" I said, looking at Caleb and sighing.

**Please R&R and a special thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

"And you haven't seen this man since?" Caleb asked me as we both sat at the table.

It had taken me a while to completely calm down, which worked out since Caleb had to change a few light bulbs and move some of the furniture back to where they were before. After that, we both sat at the table opposite from one another. I then explained everything that had happened since I came back.

"No; I still don't get the "figure it out" advice he gave me. What am I supposed to figure out?" I asked sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"I would have answered with "telling us what we need to know" but that's down the drain. So what do you remember?" Caleb asked me intently.

"Just stuff that is already out there or has nothing to do with Alison being A. I know that there were things I knew, but now it's just blank," I answered, frustrated.

"That doesn't make sense. How can you not have any memories of what happened to you, and everything about Alison? Also, where have you been for the last few months? You should have been a ghost when you first died," Caleb said, but in a way that seemed more to himself than to me.

"I don't think I went to Hell, and if I did its better that I don't remember." I stated, shivering slightly.

"But why no memories of what we need? You didn't make these clues easy to figure out," Caleb said, irritated.

"I don't even remember leaving clues for you to figure out. Are you sure they're from me?" I asked, curious.

"We hope so since one of them got Spencer out of jail. We are hoping they lead to more tapes," Caleb said in an optimistic tone.

"I remember making that tape and not losing it to "A" when I lost the RV, so can see myself making sure it got out in case Alison tried something," I said and Caleb nodded.

"What else do you have?" asked the guy in front of me.

"I don't know. I only remembered the tape because Spencer and Toby mentioned it. I get the memories back when something is mentioned being found, but nothing beforehand," I explained to him.

"So there could be other tapes that you just don't remember?" Caleb asked, rubbing his forehead, clearly frustrated.

"Yes, this isn't easy for me either. I hate that I don't know anything, I hate being this useless," I complained, anger cropping up in my voice.

Caleb sighed and got up, walking over to the fridge. Opening the door, he pulled a can of soda and snapped the lid, taking a big gulp. He seemed to be deep in thought, and I was curious to what he was thinking about. Since this was an opportune time, I decided to ask some questions of my own.

"What are they saying about me at school?" I asked, curious to how my death was being depicted.

"I don't think anyone really knows what to think about your murder. Your locker has been emptied, and the school put up a small memorial in the front; Hanna and a few others keep watch over it. There really isn't a lot of talk about what happened to you, other than whispers," Caleb told me. I wasn't sure whether to be happy or relieved at that.

"What about Alison? I heard from Spencer that she has a new group of friends," I said, more curious about that than anything else.

"More like dolls than anything else. She dressed them up to resemble the girls, which is a little creepy," Caleb informed me, anger in his voice.

"That sounds like her; has she said anything about me?" I asked, wondering how vindictive Alison was regarding my death.

"Nothing specific. She seems to have backed off calling you names. But we all think it is because she is trying to put up a front. There are a few people wondering if she was responsible in some way," Caleb explained and I found that interesting.

"Well I agree with that though I don't think she killed me herself," I stated and he didn't seem surprised by the statement.

"Her partner; any ideas?" Caleb asked, seemingly curious to my thoughts. I was surprised we were getting along right now given our history.

"No, I don't think I knew, even with the memories that I lost. Whoever he or she is, they have to be the tech support, since Alison could never figure out how to hook up a computer let alone hack," I stated, shaking my head.

"Well we've been looking for a while but it's been hard since the cops are keeping an extra eye on everyone these days. Also, A has been targeting Emily now," Caleb informed me with a frown.

"How? Spencer and Aria didn't say anything," I said, now confused since I would have expected that should have been topic number one.

"Only Me, Hanna, and Paige know. A messed with Emily's dad's medication, nearly giving him a heart attack, and someone tried to drown Paige in the school pool by activating the cover. If it weren't for Hanna, Paige would be dead," Caleb explained, and I could hear the desperation in his voice.

"Alison is punishing Emily; any way she could. No one walks out on her," I said and I felt a chill down my spine on how far this was going.

"Well so far, we are doing what we can but sooner or later Emily will find out, and go after Alison and that can't happen," Caleb stressed to me.

"Especially since we don't know who her partner is, and we can't risk the retaliation; I get it," I said and I really did.

"Any ideas?" He asked me, I was nearly floored by the question given that it seemed sincere.

"You're asking me?" I inquired, not sure how to process it.

"If you can't help by telling us what you know then you can at least help come up with the solutions," Caleb said, he sounded annoyed.

"I feel so needed," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. He just snorted and took another drink from the soda can.

We sat there in silence for a while, not sure what to say to one another. Out of everyone, I always considered Caleb as more of an annoyance than a threat. Oh sure, he was a great hacker, and could help the girls but his level of intelligence paled in comparison to mine. He could never get a leg up on me no matter how he tried; it was also why he failed to help Hanna's mother while I could.

"So I am guess you are staying here?" he asked, shaking me from my thoughts. It had been my plan originally, but that was before Caleb could see me.

"I'll take the couch," I mocked, waving my hand at it. Caleb just smirked at me and threw the empty can in the recycle.

"Hanna's been hurting over your death," he said suddenly and I wasn't sure if he was mad about that or sympathetic.

"I know." was all I could say. I mean, what else was there? She was once my best friend and I was hers.

Hanna had been my first friend ever, we had met in middle school. Those three years had been the happiest in my life but they wouldn't last. When we entered high school, Hanna had been poached by Alison and I had been dubbed "Loser Mona" with no more friends. Ever since then, I had longed for those days anew.

Now it was never to be.

"Did you want me to leave a light on?" asked my new roommate, surprisingly courteous.

"Sure. Do you have anything to read?" I inquired, looking around for anything to read. I saw a television, but there was no point given that I couldn't flip the channel.

"Just books from school. Can you actually turn the pages?" Caleb asked, slightly surprised.

"I can cause a draft so yes. I can get things to move but only when I get angry," I told him and he nodded.

"Miranda could do the same thing so I'm not surprised. You should be able to learn how to interact with time," Caleb explained to me from his room.

"Again, who is Miranda?" I asked, wanting to know. I was now regretting not looking into Caleb's absence when he first left for Ravenswood.

"Goodnight Mona." was the only answer I got, and I saw the bedroom light go off and heard the door shut.

Looking around, the place was a lot messier than Spencer's, which didn't surprise me since it was a guy's place. Mike, Noel, and Toby's rooms had always looked messy when I was in them, so it didn't surprise me that Calebs would be the same. Ezra's apartment was always tidy, but he was an adult.

The school books were on the table and I sat down, looking through them. Unfortunately for me, I had read the books before so there was nothing new for me to see. I sighed and leaned back on the chair. Maybe closing my eyes would help relieve the boredom.

A twig snapped outside and caught my attention. More curious than startled, I walked to the window next to the door, which was open; these people never learned from their stupid mistakes. Looking out, I spotted someone in black moving in the trees, and I decided to get a closer look; since I was dead, there was no way I could be in danger.

Going through the wall of the cabin, I walked out into the night and towards the mysterious person. I had a suspicion on who it could possibly be, and I cursed that Caleb wasn't better prepared for company like this. The idiot even left his laptop on the table to be easily grabbed with all of its valuable data stolen.

I got a good look at the person and my suspicions were confirmed; it was a hoodie which meant that it was "A" or a subordinate. Though completely covered, I could tell it was a girl since she definitely had b***. She was also taller than me, her boots looked a bit too stylish to be worn for a place like this. When I was still "A", I had worn flats so that I could sneak around better.

Realizing that Caleb had to be warned, I turned and ran back to the cabin.

The one benefit I found in being a ghost was that there were no obstacles for me. I ran right through the wall of the cabin, through the furniture, and into Caleb's room in seconds. Given the large amount of time I had surveyed him and Hanna, the site of him in only his boxers lying face down on the bed didn't really affect me.

"Wake up!" I yelled at him, somewhat in a panic. Thankfully, he stirred rather quickly which meant that he was already partially awake.

"What do you want Mona?" Caleb asked from the bed, and I didn't care if he sounded annoyed.

"A is here and you left your laptop in the kitchen," I told him, matching his annoyance with mine.

To his credit, Celeb reacted to the news as he should have. He jumped up from the bed and grabbed what looked like a gun at first glance. It wasn't a real gun but a paintball pistol, he had it drawn while he moved slowly to the door. Deciding to help, I stuck my head through the wall to see what was going on.

"Well?" Caleb asked quietly.

"She's still at the window, it looks like she is trying to take the screen off," I informed him as I watched the woman use a small screwdriver to do what she needed.

Caleb smiled and before I could stop him, he opened the door and pointed the gun at the window. The hoodie saw and turned to run, leaving the window screen partially off and just hanging there. The gun went off and red paint splattered against the window and wall, making a mess. While Caleb was blocked by physical obstacles, I had no problem chasing after the hoodie.

I was always fast; I had to be when it came to being in the hoodie all that time ago. As I chased the person in black through the woods, I had hoped that the fact that I was a ghost would give me the edge. Unfortunately, the hoodie was faster than me and had a head start. Whoever she was, this girl knew how to run.

The good thing was that I wasn't getting tired so I was able to slowly catch up to the hoodie since she obviously was. The rate of her speed was falling, and I could hear the huffing of her breath. I was getting excited since this person could be the one who had killed me, and I really wanted to know who she was.

We both exited the woods and there was a fast approaching light from the road we were now on. As I closed in on the hoodie, a car pulled alongside her, and she jumped in the passenger side. I screamed in frustration as the car took off, since I was not fast enough to catch up, even in my current state.

"Damn it!" I yelled as I watched the car disappear down the road. I couldn't get a good look at it but it might have been a blue dodge.

I stood there for several minutes, trying to calm down, I had been so close to finding out who the hoodie was. If it hadn't been dark out, I might have seen the license plate number, or some other part of the car so that it could be traced. Though blue dodges were common in Rosewood, it was at least a start.

It took a while to walk back to the cabin; I hadn't realized how far I had traveled when chasing the hoodie. The moon was bright in the sky so there was some light to go by, not that I was afraid to trip over something. By the time I arrived back at the cabin, all the lights were on. And the windows were all closed.

Caleb was washing paint off the wall when I came through the other side. I nearly smirked when it appeared that I had startled him. He was trying to scrub the paint off with a wash cloth, which I took for a sign that he didn't have any scrubbers to do the job. I was glad he was having a hard time since it was his stupidity that caused all this.

"Did you catch her?" Caleb asked as he scrubbed a little too demanding in my opinion.

"No, she wasn't alone; a car came by and picked her up," I informed him, annoyance in my tone.

"How do you know it was a "she"?" he asked, turning to look at me.

"She had boobs," I said simply glaring at him.

"What?" He asked, sensing that I was mad at him.

"You should have waited until she was in the house before shooting her with the paintball gun, you idiot. We could have unmasked her and gotten some answers," I nearly yelled at him.

"Well I'm sorry that I wanted to chase an intruder away from where I am staying. Some of us don't have the benefit of being a ghost!" Caleb yelled at me angrily. My eyes widened as he realized what he had said.

As the lights flickered and furniture moved, all he could say was "Crap."

**Please R&R and once again thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read.**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

By the time I had calmed down, Caleb had a lot more to clean up than just the paint.  
>Though nothing was destroyed, I had knocked enough of the furniture around, and as well as other things off the walls to keep him busy for a while.<p>

As he cleaned, I stayed outside so I that I could sooth my rage. The one good thing I knew now was that my emotions could affect the environment around me; which I already knew but I didn't realize just how much. The power of my rage enticed me and I planned to explore this in greater detail.

Maybe even use it at will so that I could avenge my death on my own.

It took Caleb most of the night to completely finish with everything. While I was still outside, he had fallen asleep on the couch so I just sat in the chair watching him. Even in death, I wasn't fond of Caleb but since he was the only one who could see me, he was my only hope to catch my killer.

Which was another thing about being dead that sucked; being forced to rely on others because I was powerless. It was a feeling that I hadn't felt in years, and I hated it because it brought back to the days before Alison first left. Of course I was already dead so it wasn't like Caleb could get rid of me. This meant that I had to depend on him and help him bring down A and Alison; if the two weren't the same person.

As the sun rose and light peaked through the window, I looked at the clock as saw that it was almost time for Caleb to get up for school. As I sat there, I pondered on whether to try and wake him up, since no alarm could be heard or let him sleep after the night's events. I was tempted to just let him sleep in so that we could just work on finding out information on my murder; but having Caleb flunk and get yelled at by Hanna wouldn't do me any favors.

Though it would be funny to watch since he was always too self-righteous for my tastes.

Before I could wake him up, I heard a car pull up and a door slam. Getting up, I moved to the window quickly and saw that it was Hanna. She was dressed in her jogging attire, which was cute, and I was surprised that she was skipping school given that it was almost the end for her. Hanna couldn't afford to have her record hurt like this.

She opened the door with a smile which faded when she caught Caleb on the couch with just his boxers on. Then there was a slightly mischievous grin as she just strolled over slowly. The way she was looking at him, I wondered if I would have to take a walk given that I did not want to see an intense Haleb moment. Spoby was bad enough to see when it was at such low intensity.

Lucky for me, Hanna's mood seemed to change, and she just kicked the couch with a loud bang, waking Caleb up. I smirked at his obvious surprise and embarrassment as he tried to compose himself. I don't think he was ashamed that his girlfriend caught him in his underwear, but that there would have been a chance that Hanna wouldn't have been alone. I knew for a fact that Paige and Emily liked to jog in the morning, which meant Hanna could have invited them along.

"What are you smirking at?" Caleb snarled as he looked at me. I sighed since he obviously forgotten that he was the only one that could see me.

"Excuse me?" Hanna asked, seeming quite irked at his attitude, thinking that he was talking to her.

"She can't see me you twit," I said, giving him an annoyed look.

"Sorry, thought you were making fun of me," Caleb quickly responded, trying to sound as apologetic as he could. Hanna seemed to buy that and looked around.

"Why does everything look so clean and smell nice? And why are you on the couch dressed like that?" Hanna inquired, looking confused. I was curious to what he was going to say.

"A paid me a visit last night and tried to steal my laptop," Caleb answered, telling Hanna the truth. I was surprised that he didn't try to lie about it since I would have.

"Are you okay? Did A take anything?" Hanna asked, concerned and sitting down next to him on the couch.

"No, I was warned and managed to chase her off," Caleb answered with a smile. Hanna looked at him funny and I once again sighed by his idiocy.

"What do you mean you were warned? Also, it was a she?" Hanna asked, once again confused.

"I heard her try to come through the window, she was trying to take the screen off; also there were boobs," Caleb answered, slightly embarrassed by saying the last part.

"Nice save," I complemented and he shot me a glare when Hanna wasn't looking.

"I thought you said that laptop didn't hold anything important?" Hanna said, looking over at the device on the table. I shot him a confused look.

"Yeah but we can't let A know that and she would find it suspicious if I didn't try to stop her from taking it," Caleb explained, the look he gave me almost seemed apologetic. I understood but it was annoying that I had seemed to be tricked as well.

"Well lock it up; we have a morning jog to do," ordered the blond, standing up and placing her hands on her hips.

"We actually have no school today; can't we just sleep in," whined Caleb and I snorted. The look that Hanna gave him was priceless and I smirked when he wilted under it. He then got up and went to his room to change.

I pondered whether to go with them on the jog. It wasn't like I couldn't keep up since I was rather fit; though it didn't matter since I was now dead. It would also be rather boring just hanging out here all day given that the cabin was almost in the middle of nowhere. Since I could no longer sweat or feel tired, there were no disadvantages in doing the jog with them.

When Caleb was done changing, they left the cabin with me following close behind. I could tell he was surprised that I was going with them, but given Hanna's presence, it wasn't like he could say anything. In fact, he couldn't even tell me that I wasn't allowed to with them, though I was not sure he would have.

Hanna drove while Caleb was in the passenger seat. I was in the back just taking in the view, recognizing every street we were on. Before I began my life as A, I made sure to explore every bit of Rosewood so that I could have the advantage. I wonder if the new A had done the same thing after I was dethroned.

"So I invited Emily and Paige to go with us; we are meeting them at the starting point," Hanna announced as she turned on a familiar street, Caleb gave Hanna a look.

"What? I'd thought it would be nice to have company for a change," Hanna said defensively at Caleb.

"Are we still going to breakfast?" Caleb asked and I realized that he hadn't eaten yet.

"Yeah, but I am not sure they are going with us; I think Emily has to manage practice with the swim team," Hanna informed. I had forgotten that Emily was now the assistant coach for the Sharks; at least it kept her closer to Paige than Alison.

After another couple of minutes, we made it towards our destination which was right in the middle of the residential area of town. As the car slowed, I saw Emily and Paige standing alongside their car. Both were in similar jogging attire as Hanna, though their blue sports bras were a bit less flashy than Hanna's; a lot less cleavage shown as well.

"Hey," Hanna said to the two as she and Caleb got out of the car.

"Hey; thanks for inviting us," Paige said, Caleb gave Hanna the look again, and Emily and Paige looked at each other amused.

"Let it go; be glad for the eye candy," I said with a smirk and I swear Caleb nearly glared at me sideways.

I watched as all four did their stretches and I decided to join in; more to annoy Caleb than anything else. I think he was annoyed that I was going with them, as well as the fact that he couldn't say anything to me since he would look like a madman if he did. Thinking about it, I realized that Caleb being the only one I could communicate with could be a problem if I annoyed him too much. I decided to keep silent during the jog and just follow along from behind.

Rosewood was always a jogging friendly town and the sidewalks were wide enough for everyone. The area where we were located was fairly empty with it still early in the morning for anyone to be up; there was the occasional car that passed us but nothing that would have caused problems. I was wary of any blue vehicles given what happened last night.

As the group jogged, I made sure to move slightly slower but still keep up to overhear the conversation. While I would have liked to hear them brainstorming ideas on how to combat A, I suppose it was alright to hear the occasional gossip about everyday life. As I listened, I frowned and there were times I wanted to cry. Caleb must have sensed that when he occasionally looked back to see if I was still there and he graciously changed the subject a few times.

"So did you get rid of Sydney yet?" asked Hanna and the comment had my full attention.

"She's a great swimmer Hanna; can't get rid of her because she and Jenna are now part of Alison's posse," Paige chided and I just stopped, flabbergasted; if it was possible, my jaw would be on the ground.

"What?!" I screeched, or at least I think I did. I stopped dead and just stared at the group as they continued on. Caleb, to his credit, stopped and lied about pulling something. While he pretended to rub his leg, he looked my way and actually seemed concerned.

"Who else?" I snarled at him, moving right through Paige who just shivered and rubbed her arms.

"Jenna, Cindy, and Mindy," he answered quietly, caught off guard by my rage and no one appeared to have heard him. I collapsed onto the ground in front of him, my face going through a swirl of emotions.

I think the main emotion I was feeling was betrayal; yeah, that was it…betrayal. Out of all the people that should not be in Alison's new group, those bitches should be at the top of the list after what Alison had done to them. Even worse, I had organized them in order to protect them and this is how they repay me, by joining the enemy who killed me.

I screamed in rage and there was a gust of wind that swirled around us. While it wasn't strong enough to really cause any damage or knock anyone down, Caleb still felt concerned and told everyone to continue on without him; which they did despite Hanna's reluctance. I was on my knees, pounding my fists into the ground as tears rolled down my face.

"Why?" I asked him, almost pleading with him. I appreciated his look of pity but my rage and hurt clouded my eyes.

"Somehow Alison had managed to turn just about everyone onto her side; including those she hurt directly. The others, who still hate her and still a big chunk of the school, just keep silent and focus on graduation. They consider her the queen despite her being behind your death," Caleb told me and I could hear the sympathy in his voice.

"So she's winning," I stated in a mix of anger and disbelief. I couldn't believe that bitch Alison could sway so many people onto her side. Then again, I could believe because I saw it first hand back during my freshmen year.

"Yeah," Caleb said simply and I appreciated his honesty.

"So what now?" I asked, feeling utterly defeated.

"I don't know; but maybe that is why you are here. Maybe you were sent to help us take down Alison," Caleb suggested. It sounded so cheesy and cliché that I just laughed harshly.

"Then why the memory loss? If someone up there sent me back to help take down that bitch, why give me a hole in my memories that do nothing?" I asked, almost mockingly. He couldn't answer that and I just shook my head.

"Just go; I need to be alone," I said, getting up and walking away from him.

"Where are you going?" he asked me, not sure how to take my sudden departure.

"I don't know; I'll see you later," I answered, loud enough for him to hear as I kept walking. I didn't hear him follow me and quite frankly I didn't care if he did or not; it wasn't like Caleb could stop me.

So this is what Rosewood looked like with my death; an Alison victory. My allies betraying me, and the people I was trying to help stuck in a rut. My poor mother with her only child gone, now having to grow old alone, without any grandchildren. The police ignoring what Alison has done, and instead focused on the wrong people for all the murders in town.

It just wasn't fair.

As I walked down the streets, ignoring any obstacle by going through them, I watched as people came out of their houses and went to work. Some of the people I knew instantly, from the years that I had lived here while some I didn't know. Kids came out to play, and more joggers came out of their homes. Things became very lively as more cars appeared, and drove right through me; which I couldn't care less about.

Eventually, I made my way downtown which seemed to be busier than usual on a weekday morning. Caleb had said that there was no school today, from that I assumed that today was some sort of holiday. Unfortunately, I still had no idea on the date so didn't know what was going on today. Maybe if I listened in on a few conversations, I could get a clue on how long exactly I have been dead for.

Before I could begin my listen in on random conversations, a familiar face caught my eye. He was sitting at a table in front of what used to be  
>The Brew; apparently it was now some sort of café now by the looks of it. I guess after Zach left town, the place got bought and changed into something else. I wondered if Emily still worked there. I even wondered if they still had the mozzarella sticks that Hanna loved so much.<p>

The place was more colorful than when it was The Brew. The bright red that stained the front of the building was catching, and the title "Café Latte" seemed to match the theme it was going for. The tables and chairs that were on the outside had an Italian look to them, and were a bit fancy though looking quite comfortable. The person I recognized lounged in one of those chairs and I strolled on over.

It was a surprise to see Jason again given his hasty flight from Rosewood after his mother was discovered dead. Even though Alison was his sister and bound together by blood, Jason wasn't blinded by his sister as others were; He was one of the few who knew Alison for the monster that she was. He looked good, and a lot cleaner than when I last saw him; which was by chance since I was getting gas and he just happened to drive by. He was dressed in a pair of slacks with a white t-shirt, very casual which was how I was used to seeing him.

Our relationship was complicated to say the least. I knew he was using me for information and that our friendship was fake; which I didn't mind, since he did exactly what I needed him to in order to distract the other girls. I never hated him and I am pretty sure he never hated me; though I did know he was angry for what I did to Spencer.

Which was quite funny, since what Alison did to her was a lot worse. I'd known for a long time that Jason was a Hastings and not a DiLaurentis. I had learned about it from Jessica and Peter by listening on their conversations. Never bothered to use that bit of information since it wouldn't have amounted to anything, and just locked it up with all of the other secrets that I knew. Plus I liked Jason and saw him as another one of Alison's victims.

From the look of it, he was waiting for someone and I was curious to when he got back into town. I doubted my death would bring him back, and suspected that it was because of what Alison had done to Spencer. As he sat there, I decided to see if he was meeting anyone of importance.

And to my complete surprise, it was Peter Hastings.

**Please R&R and a special thanks to Paraddicted for the editing!**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

I just stood there as Peter and Jason sat across from one another.

This was such a rare occurrence that I couldn't pass the opportunity to pass it up; especially since it might get my mind off the bad news I had just received.

I looked around for a seat, but there were only two and they were both occupied. So I sat on the edge of the brick plant pot next to the table. It was off to the side, and out of the way so no one could go through me. Not only was it the perfect place to listen in, but also to spot anyone I knew in case they appeared.

"Thank you for meeting me," Peter said and it almost seemed like he was nervous.

"Does your wife know you are here?" Jason asked, keeping his tone neutral. I wasn't surprised by the lack of emotion given the lack of relationship between father and son.

"Yes; we don't keep secrets from each other anymore," Peter answered.

"Since the heart attack?" Jason inquired and Peter nodded. I concluded that Peter wasn't just fixing his relationship with his immediate family but the extended as well.

"So how are you?" Peter asked after a minute of silence and making the first move so to speak.

"Fine; trying to stay away from the house and Alison," Jason stated and I found the comment surprising since it was so blatant.

"That's understandable given what she did to your sister," Peter said, nodding in approval. Now this conversation had my full attention, since Peter Hastings has never acknowledged Jason's link to Spencer and the rest of the Hastings.

"And what she did to Mona," Jason added firmly. I was both astounded and touched that another person believed that Alison killed me.

"Like I keep explaining to Spencer; the police have investigated Alison, she had an alibi. I would like her to be guilty too, since it would mean that the police would stop listening to that little liar," Peter said, anger in his voice.

"Alison was involved, mark my words. It's hard to believe that I share blood with the sociopath," Jason said, and I could hear the disgust in his voice. This was getting good since the last time I saw Jason, he had nothing but sadness for his sister.

What the heck did Alison do in the months that I was gone to alienate him?

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about; it might be in your best interest to leave town for a while," Peter said and I saw Jason narrow his eyes.

"You want me gone," accused the younger man, fire in his eyes.

"No; I want you safe. Something is about to happen and I want you out of it," Peter corrected, pressing his point by leaning forward.

"You mean Leona Vanderwaal and her lawsuit," Jason stated and Peter was caught by surprise.

"How did you find out about that?" Peter asked, leaning back, astounded. I was equally surprised and curious.

"I saw her after the funeral and offered my condolences. When she accidently let it slip that she was going to sue Alison, I offered my help," his son explained and I blinked a few times, not sure what to think.

"Are you sure you want to do that; Alison is still your sister," Peter said, though he seemed relieved that Jason was siding with my mother.

"Spencer is my sister and she needs my help," was all that Jason said and his father nodded."I am just trying to warn you that there will be consequences for you siding with Leona. Just be safe," Peter said, and he actually sounded like a caring father when he said that. I was now annoyed to have missed the reconciliation between those two.

The two discussed various things and they seemed to be bonding; if I wasn't so bored with it, I might have found it touching. Other than the times with me and my mother, watching family moments always seemed pointless since they never amounted to anything. I had watched countless moments between the girls and their parents, including Alison; all they did was lie.

When it became apparent that nothing was going to be said that I needed, I got up and walked away from the two; hoping to find something else to keep me distracted.

I walked into the building, so that I could check out the new decorum. It matched the Italian themed style from the outside, though I found the dark green and red coloring that lined the walls a little ugly. There was some new equipment for cooking, and I saw what looked like a Panini machine on the counter. There were only a few customers inside for the moment, and since there was no one I knew, I didn't see the point in staying.

That was when I spotted a familiar face in the window outside.

The last time I saw Lucas was at my funeral, and he seemed at the time to be sad that I was dead. I now watched as he ducked into a building across the street, looking to see if he was followed before doing so. I found that interesting and my curiosity grew, I made my way to the building; going through everything without a care.

The brown bricked building from the outside looked empty and had a "for rent" sign on the front; the windows were all covered with white blinds that prevented anyone from looking inside. Moving through the door, I noticed that it was triple bolted to prevent anyone from picking the lock.

It seemed that Lucas had something to hide and I planned to find out what.

As I walked down the hallway, the old wooden floorboards beneath my feet, I felt slightly anxious since it was rather dark and eerie. Though I would have enjoyed the environment if I had been alive, it felt out of place since I was now a ghost. I think it was also the fact that I was dressed in casual clothing instead of all black in a hoodie.

I passed various closed doors as I moved throughout the building, all of them empty. This building seemed to have once housed apartments and then office space from the looks of things. From the cracks on the walls as well as the peeling paint and rotten wood, this place had not been used in a while. This was surprising given that Rosewood never really expanded and every space within the town was always used for something.

I heard something from my left and I went through the wall into another hallway. At the end was a light coming from a cracked door but that wasn't what caught my attention; it was the camera disguised as a smoke detector above me on the right. In fact, I had seen a number of them as I moved through the building and would not be surprised that they held cameras as well. I also saw a motion sensor as well, hidden in a crack in the floorboards. At least Lucas has been smart with his security.

I proceeded forwards at a quickened pace, wanting the quench my curiosity at what Lucas was hiding. When I reached the end and went into the lit room, my eyes bulged at what it contained.

When I designed my lair, I had created a shrine to Alison by putting lots of pictures everywhere on the walls. The Liars and others assumed that this shrine was depicting my love for the blonde as well as admiration; they couldn't be any more wrong. That shrine was a monument to my absolute hatred for Alison, my desire to bring her down as well as expose her for the monster that she was.  
>Now I was staring at a shrine to myself; almost mimicking the one that I had built to Alison.<p>

There were differences of course; one being that the shrine was more of a dedication to my memory than something negative. The pictures of me lacked any holes in the eyes and I was smiling in all of them; definitely more positive than the ones I had of Alison. As I looked around, I saw hoodies and other disguises. There was a desk with a laptop and an old wooden chair, probably leftover from the building when it was an office.

I saw Lucas sitting at another desk, going over from what appeared to be a police report. He was dressed in casual clothing, a red shirt and blue jeans, and he looked different than when I last saw him. He had a bit more facial hair, almost having a mini beard, and seemed sickly as if he hadn't been eating right. I remember him being like this back in high school during our freshman year, when Alison's taunting had gotten the best of him.

A part of me wondered if he had gone over to the enemy; that maybe he was Alison's partner. But that thought was quickly dismissed since Lucas hated Alison too much to ever be on her side; especially when it came to Hanna. Sure, he was jealous of Caleb; but he valued his closeness with Hanna too much to put it in jeopardy ever again.

Plus Alison would never tolerate a shrine dedicated to me; she always needed to be in the lime light.

"Is this for me Lucas?" I asked softly as I watched him.

I had to say that I was completely surprised by his behavior; I had figured that he would have run after my funeral. Lucas may have been a valuable ally, but he was, sadly, a coward as well. I recognized this and sympathized instead of getting angry with him. This was why I cut him loose under favorable circumstances and allowed him to move on.

I heard the sound of an alarm going off and Lucas quickly moved to the laptop to see what had triggered it. I looked over his shoulder and saw a person in a black hoodie heading this way. The way the hoodie acted on camera told me that Lucas was expecting him or her since he had a lack of concern on his face. Also the hoodie on camera didn't even try to sneak around.

"You're late," Lucas said, annoyed when the hoodie walked into the room. I stood in the corner so that I could stay out of the way while still getting a full view of the situation.

"I'm sorry; it was hard to get past Aria this morning," Mike said as he pulled back the hood. My jaw dropped and I blinked a few times, not sure what to think.

"Oh no," I whispered to myself, feelings of guilt and heartbreak flooding me. It was bad enough seeing Lucas like this but to have Mike drawn in was too much. I hand my head low but still do my best to overhear the conversation.

"There was nothing for the cops to trace back to you," Lucas said as he crossed his arms and stared at Mike. He sounded angry and I had a sinking feeling as to what.

"What are you talking about?" Mike asked, sounding defensive.

"Your little stunt at Alison's house the other night," Lucas answered, glaring at the younger teen. I felt a little relieved to be honest since it meant that Lucas had not ordered Mike to do that stupid thing.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mike lied and it was such an easy lie to see though that even on of the girl's parents could see right through it.

"Don't lie to me; remember our agreement? We were only going to watch Alison and her every move, not go after her with random attacks," Lucas chided and I found it good to know that this setup was for a more benign operation than just revenge.

"I was just angry; seeing her mother at the funeral and watching her cry just made me want to act," Mike admitted and he looked sorry for what he did.

"Well you need to hold it in or find some other outlet because if you get caught by the police or "A" finds out then there will be trouble," Lucas pressed with force to make Mike understand.

They knew about "A"; that was interesting. Lucas never knew about me taking orders from Redcoat/Alison/Uber A since he was on his way out so I never bothered to tell him. Mike, when I was still alive, didn't know anything about what was happening behind the scenes. So at some point after my death, these two found out and I was curious to how. As well as to what they were planning.

"But wouldn't me doing this be a good thing? You said that we needed to provoke Alison in some way so that when she acts, we'd be there to watch her," Mike argued as he sat down at the table located.

"Not if it exposes us or endangers people. It's good for you that we aren't on "A's" radar and that the girls had alibis," Lucas countered, taking a seat opposite from Mike and still maintaining that frown on his face.

"It won't happen again," Mike stated sheepishly and bowed his head. Lucas just sighed and shook his head.

"Well it did seem to work; Alison went out in a hoodie early that morning and didn't come back for a few hours," Lucas informed and Mike looked up at him while I narrowed my eyes.

"Where did she go?" Mike asked enthusiastically and I was curious to that as well.

"I lost track of her after she left Rosewood. It might have been Brookhaven or Ravenswood so I don't know. My network hasn't extended out that far yet," Lucas informed, not happy about it.

"So we don't have anything," Mike said, frustrated and angry.

"It's something; we just have to be patient," Lucas stated and Mike didn't look convinced. Heck, I wasn't convinced and all I had left was patience.

"We haven't even found her body let alone evidence that Alison killed her," said my former boyfriend as he looked over at the giant photo of me on the wall and I could hear the pain in his voice.

"You're right and I feel like an amateur. Mona would have yelled at me by now and taken over," Lucas claimed as he looked at the photo as well.

"Probably," I admitted as I thought about it.

"At least she's at peace," Mike said and my blood started to boil.

"I swear to any deity that is listening that if one more person says "I am at peace", I am going to figure out a way to knock them to the ground with a broken nose," I snarled angrily. The lights flickered overhead and both guys looked at one another in confusion while I tried to calm myself.

Another alarm went off and while was startled, Mike and Lucas jumped into action. Mike went for the baseball bat while Lucas went straight to his laptop to see who it was. After looking at the screen, Lucas waved his hand and Mike lowered the bat. I took this as a sign that it was all clear and that they knew the visitor,

"Maybe he'll have something this time," Lucas said and Mike just shrugged his shoulders.

"You guys have a third member of this group?" I asked them, not keeping the curiosity out of my voice. The fact that only Caleb could hear me was starting to get on my nerves.

It was about a minute before the mysterious third conspirator entered the room, hoodie and all. It wasn't like the days of when I was "A" where the hoodies I wore were all black; this was more store bought low end stuff than what I used back in the day. When he pulled back the hood and revealed his face, I nearly fainted.

"Jason?"

**Please R&R and a special thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read! Also, have you guys caught me new Dark Spona fic "Sweet Sacrifice"? I'd love to know what you think. **


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

I stood there flabbergasted as Jason made his way into the room.

Before anyone could say a word, he reached out with both hands and grabbed Mike by the shirt and then lifted him up. Jason then shoved him against the wall, his face looking so angry that even I felt a chill.

"What the hell?" Mike gasped as he was lifted off the ground. Lucas moved to intervene but a glare from Jason froze him in his tracks.

"What were you trying to accomplish? Do you know how much trouble you caused?" Jason asked, practically snarling.

"I already told him off; let him go," Lucas said but Jason ignored him and stared into Mike's eyes. If I could intervene, I would have but I was currently helpless.

"I'm sorry; alright? I just snapped," Mike struggled to explain and Jason let him go.

"Snap again, you go somewhere else to take out your rage," Jason ordered, almost a threat as he looked down at Mike on the floor.

"Okay. I'm sorry," Mike said and Jason reached his hand out, which Mike grabbed and was pulled up by the older guy.

"You pissed Alison off; I've never seen her so angry," Jason said, giving Mike an almost brotherly look. It seemed that the two had bonded somehow in the aftermath of my death.

"It won't happen again. Does she suspect me?" Mike asked and I was curious as well.

"I don't think you are even on her radar. Alison would consider me or Lucas a suspect far before you," Jason informed. Lucas nodded in agreement.

"Are you a suspect?" Lucas asked as he sat down in front of his computer. Both Mike and Jason sat at the table across from him while I stayed in the corner with my arms crossed.

"No, but that's because I was dragged into a family thing by my grandma who was visiting us," Jason answered with a sigh. I got the impression that he had not liked being dragged into that family thing even though it had paid off by getting him off the hook for what Mike did.

"Well I am not one; the police came by and questioned me. Luckily, I was out with my parents in Brookhaven," Lucas stated, sounding relieved.

"So all is good," Mike said, as if he was making what he did seem alright. I just closed my eyes and shook my head at his idiocy.

"No, we got lucky," Lucas chided and Jason just nodded his head in agreement.

"Well maybe something like this needed to happen. We have been skulking about, doing nothing for the last month while Alison has been out there dancing about like she is the Queen of Rosewood. I am tired of this," Mike raged, a storm of emotions coming out. I was also coming to terms with my own emotions as I watched him.

"Mona did stuff like that and that caused her problems for everyone around her. You can't go down that path," Jason said and I agreed with him, mostly anyway.

"But it got results; didn't it?" Mike asked Lucas, trying to press the point.

"But at what cost? We are doing this to protect the ones we love and not revenge. Mona saw this at the end and she got real results and is now mourned by everyone, instead of everyone being relieved," Lucas argued back.

"But we haven't gotten anything to use against Alison. We have been watching her every move and got nothing for it except for useless fashion crap. She is winning," Mike stated, echoing my earlier claim to Caleb.

From the sound of things, these guys were basically where the girls and their mates were; with nothing. It seems that I was the only one who ever gotten one over on Alison while the rest were struggling to keep up with her. Without my genius, everyone was lost and unable to do anything effective. It was both annoying and saddening at the same time.

It was also interesting to see these three together, forming some sort of Hoodie Trinity. While I could see Lucas forming some sort of group in the wake of my death, I was unable to fathom how he managed to rope Jason and Mike in. Actually, I take that back since I could see Mike in this since he needed a leash; I loved my boyfriend but he had a temper. Jason was the enigma; how did he and Lucas meet up for him to become a part of this?

Also, what the Hell did Alison do to alienate Jason so much?

"Alison isn't winning; she just has the upper hand right now. She thinks that she has everyone under her thumb right now and is cocky. We can use that against her," Lucas argued, trying to make a point.

"You say upper hand, I say winning since no one has done anything useful including us. Mrs. Vanderwaal doesn't even have a body to bury," Mike practically yelled, rising to his feet.

"And what are you going to do? Harass Alison until she gives up and confesses? All you are going to do is make her look like the victim and no one benefits from that," Jason said, like an older brother trying to get a point across to the younger sibling.

"So what am I supposed to do? I want to do something so Mona can rest in peace," stated my former boyfriend. Or is he my current? How does that work with me as a ghost?

"Well at least you get that I am not at peace," I said out loud, feeling a little happy that my Mike is trying to be my avenger.

"I don't think Mona would like her only real boyfriend to rot in some jail cell or sanitarium for the rest of his life," Lucas claimed; which he was right since I wanted Mike to have a future outside of Rosewood.

"Well what would she want? What would Mona do if she was here?" Mike angrily demanded to know from the two other males in the room.

"Mona wouldn't do anything that sloppy; she was at least methodical when she initiated her plans no matter how much I said it was wrong," Lucas informed him and I had to agree.

He was right; Lucas would often try to be my jiminy cricket when it came to my operations. It was useful at first since it guaranteed me not going too far and do something stupid. After a while though, his second guessing me had gotten on my nerves and I started to ignore him. I wondered if I had gotten careless after that and allowed Alison to poach my game away.

"I am starting to wonder if maybe Mona had the right idea," Mike growled, pressing his point.

"Are you forgetting that Mona terrorized your sister for over a year and nearly ruined her life?" Jason asked, clearly aggravated by Mike's words.

"My sister stood by and let Alison DiLaurentis terrorize half the school. She then lied to me and my family about her affair with Ezra as well as what happened in New York. She also tried to break me and Mona up. Aria doesn't deserve my sympathy," Mike stated and my jaw nearly fell on the floor while the other two guys looked solemn.

I wasn't sure what to think about that. In the time that I knew him, Mike had always been the protective brother when it came to Aria. Obviously something must have happened between the two to make Mike turn against her so adamantly. It turns out that once again that I had some things that I needed to find out.

"It wasn't her fault; Aria fell into my sister's thrall like so many others," Jason defended and I was curious if he was still into her. I was never able to find out if he genuinely liked Aria or if it was all for show.

He was also technically right. Alison would have been a great cult leader; she might still, given enough time. She had this ability to make everyone around her become immersed in her and look the other way while she committed some pretty horrible things. Even I was entranced by her at first; until I was dubbed Loser Mona and that love turned to hate.

The silence from Mike that followed almost seemed like he yeah gotten Jason's point; but by the look I saw on his face, I doubted it. This meant that I might have to keep a special eye on him in the future so that he wouldn't do anything else stupid. Of course I couldn't stop him so I guess there was no point.

Sigh….

"You said on the phone that Alison went somewhere in the middle of the night and I have her on camera leaving Rosewood. I then lost track of her; did you find out where?" Lucas asked Jason, changing the subject to something a bit more useful.

"No; I didn't get a chance to press before we were interrupted. All I could say was that I heard someone leaving and inquired if it was her. I don't think she realized that I knew that she had left for a few hours," Jason answered, frowning at the failure.

"So once again we have nothing," Mike angrily stated.

"I agree if anyone cares," I said, wishing again that someone could hear me. I really was hoping that there was someone else other than Caleb out there that could see and hear me.

"Not totally; I looked at Alison's phone while she wasn't looking and it looks like she talked to someone before she left. The number was blocked but I might be able to steal her phone given the chance," Jason said.

"How are you going to do that? Especially with A watching her back," Lucas asked, skeptically.

"I don't know; I'll think of something. By the way, Mona's mom is going to sue Alison for her daughter's death," Jason informed everyone.

"Really? Can she do that?" Mike asked, puzzled.

"She might if she has a case. But Alison has so many people under her snare and her family is rich so it's a long shot," Lucas stated.

"Well apparently my father and his wife are going to help Leona on the sly. I also wouldn't doubt if Spencer and the rest of the girls helped too," Jason informed the other two, which I already knew.

"I don't doubt that; we aren't the only ones digging into Alison's life. When I was hacking into the police department, I noticed Mona's software alongside mine and it looks like Caleb is helping the girls," Lucas said. I smirked since this meant that Lucas and the group were onto the girls while they were clueless.

"How do you know its Caleb? Why not A?" Jason asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

"Because A doesn't need to hack the police department and Mona had told me that she had given Caleb her encryption software to do the very thing I am doing now," Lucas explained.

"So what are we going to do now?" Mike asked, clearly frustrated; which I couldn't blame him. While I admired this trio for their dedication and the fact they were getting stuff done, they weren't that far ahead of the girls.

Maybe this was the reason why I was here; because I was the only one capable of getting stuff done. Alison was ahead of the game and leaving everyone in her dust. But that left the question of the big hole in my memories as well as the fact that I could only communicate with one person. If someone wanted me here to stop Alison, why leave me at such a disadvantage?

I stood there as the three discussed their next move; nothing really of importance in my opinion. Their plans were interesting, but all they entailed was just more surveillance. Other than what Mike did, there was no taking the fight to Alison in this group. They had the vision, but lacked the skill and drive to get the job done.

Once again, being dead sucks.

Eventually everyone left and Lucas turned out the lights, activating the security system before locking up. I was alone in the darkness, contemplating on what to do. It was only in the mid afternoon according to the clock, and I supposed that I could either make my way back to Caleb or do some more exploring.

Speaking of Caleb, I wasn't sure whether to let him in on this new alliance against Alison. While more people coordinating against Alison the better, I was afraid that the inclusion of Caleb and the girls might attracted the attention of A; so far, these guys were successfully operating under the radar and why should that change.

No, better to leave Caleb and the girls in the dark about this since it wouldn't accomplish anything.

Since I couldn't turn on the computer to go over what the guys had in terms of surveillance, and there weren't any photos around, I headed out of the room; opting to just go through the wall so that I wouldn't trip the security system. I appeared on the other side of the building in an empty alley and walked out into the open.

The sun was still up and there were people everywhere, bustling about their business. Looking around, I didn't see anyone I directly knew; only people that I saw everyday but were irrelevant to my life. I saw the police station at the end of the street and thought that they might have something useful for me; that or something that I could warn Caleb about.

I started walking and deliberately passed through people, causing them to shiver which brought a smile to my face. I needed cheering up and what better way than to cause a little mischief that wasn't totally harmful to anyone. I was starting to enjoy myself when I spotted something familiar. I diverted from my path to get a closer look.

It was the car from last night; stopped at a red light. I could tell since the color and make were identical as well as the driver whom was covered with a hoodie. Looking around, I was surprised that no one else found this unusual; but I had driven around town numerous times like that and not been pulled over. There was never a cop around in Rosewood that was useful.

Taking advantage of the situation, I sprinted towards the car and jumped in the backseat. It was just in time as the light turned green and the car took off. I sat upright and smiled at the person in black the evilest one I could muster; which would have been more satisfying if he or she could see it with their mirror. But I suppose I could just settle on the fact that I was now able to find something out on my own.

The driver was dressed head to toe in black with nothing to identify her. I knew it was a she because of the b*** sticking out of the chest but I don't think it was the same person from the other night. This person appeared to be a little taller and the bust just a tad bigger; I wasn't a pervert but was always good at observation.

After a while, the silence was starting to annoy me. Whoever she was, would it bother her to turn on the radio?

We were leaving Rosewood, telling by the houses that lay at the edge of town. As I studied the area, I could tell that we were heading towards the lake that lay at Rosewood's edge. I was puzzled since there weren't any houses or cabins there so it didn't make sense for us to come this way. A chilling thought occurred to me and I quickly put my head through the backseat to see what was in the trunk.

It was empty to my relief.

The car pulled onto a trail and sped along the dirt path. It was starting to get dark as the sun began to set. I noticed that we were heading towards the lake and I was once again puzzled since State Rules forbid any living areas on the lake shore. It was also enforced pretty heavily so I knew that we could not be heading to a possible lair.

When the lake came into full view, the car stopped at its edge and the driver got out. It was dark and I couldn't see much so as I moved to get out, there was a sudden jolt and I froze; confused to what was happening. Then there was the sudden sound of a large engine and something slammed into the car hard.

The next thing I knew, there was water rushing in.

**Please R&R and another thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Don't own it

At least I couldn't get wet.

As the car sank into the water of the lake and began to fill with water, I laid there on the ceiling for a minute as I contemplated what was going on.

When the car first shook and was pushed into the lake, I had expected that I would just be knocked out of the vehicle as it was shoved violently. I mean I was a ghost and couldn't understand why I traveled with the car; I should have just stayed in one spot while the vehicle moved. Come to think of it, technically I shouldn't be able to sit on objects but for some reason I could.

It was almost comical that way I was laying here while I was missing the opportunity to see what was going on outside. If this was a movie and I was a viewer, I would be screaming at the television to get out of the car. In fact, my own mind was screaming at me in the back of my head, which I strangely ignored. It wasn't until the car was completely fill with water that I'd decided that I had enough.

Instead of standing up and walking out of the car, I simply rolled through the car until I was lying on the dirt outside. Water surrounded me and even though I felt like I was breathing, I wasn't since there was no water sucking into my nose. I stood up and ran ashore, surprised on the lack of resistance as I moved through the mud.

It was dark when I broke the surface of the water as the sun had just faded. A few stars were out as well as the moon which was full and bright, making easier for me to see. Looking around, there no one as well as any cars about which left me completely alone out here. The ground had tracks from some sort of heavy vehicle; maybe a large construction vehicle though I couldn't tell what.

It was interesting since I didn't see any vehicle of that type when we had arrived. Then again I didn't have a chance to check out the environment before the car and I got our big splash. I supposed another vehicle could have been following us without me knowing, which was a possibility since I was paying more attention to the driver in front of me, than what was going on behind.

I was now alone at the lake with absolutely nothing in sight. Even in the dark, there was enough light from the night sky to have seen some sort of vehicle and there was none. I couldn't even see the Town of Rosewood from where I was; which in the darkness, would not have been hard to miss. While I had some idea where to start walking, it would be sometime before I could make my way back to Caleb.

There had to be a reason why that car was dumped here tonight. While it was too dark for me to search it, which was easy given my lack of corporeal form, Caleb could help with that especially in regards to rides. I had a pretty good idea where I was in the location of this spot so I think I could find it again.

"Nice night isn't it?" asked a familiar voice from behind me. Startled, I turned suddenly to see that I wasn't as alone as I thought.

It was the man from the church; right down to the dark sunglasses. He stood there and smiled at me, his hands in his pockets. What struck me the most, besides his demeanor, was that I could fully see him even though it was now completely nighttime now. It was if his body was fully illuminated so that I could see him.

"Why do you wear those dark glasses?" I asked, surprised by my question. He seemed even more surprised by the question than I was.

"Well that's unexpected; I usually get asked who or what are you and so on. Never about the glasses," he said in wonderment. Now I was unsure on what to say next; do I dare ask "who are you?"

"You know something? I hate this town," he suddenly stated while I struggled to decide what to ask.

"Why?" I inquired, not sure what to make of what he said. I still didn't know what he was and was most definitely curious. He wasn't human but I was not sure if he was a ghost.

"Because I am tired of having to hang around here; too much death for a dinky town such as this. And don't even get me started about how everything keeps getting complicated. You right now are the biggest issue and we are unsure on what to do," he stated in frustration.

"I don't understand," was all I could say. I was being honest too, I really didn't understand what he meant.

"It was all supposed to end with you. Every dark thing in this place was going to end with what you were supposed to do next. But now you are dead and you were not supposed to be," he practically yelled; as if it were my fault.

"You said that last time; what do you mean by that?" I asked, pushing back forcibly. I refused to be blamed for something that I knew nothing about.

"What I mean is that you weren't supposed to die. How do you not understand that?" the man mocked, causing me to glare at him.

"But what do you mean by that? I did die, and I am not getting how you keep saying that I wasn't," I angrily said, fighting my primal urges to go at him.

"Because you were supposed to have been saved on that day in your house," He stated, this time a little sadly. My mind struggled to contemplate that and I wanted to ask how; but the words couldn't get out. He gave a long sigh before telling me more.

"You see, Aria and Ezra were supposed to arrive just in time to fight off "A" and take you to the hospital. There, you would have recovered and informed everyone about what you found; thus taking down Alison and her partner once and for all," he informed me.

"So what went wrong?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Aria decided to stop to get Hanna and Emily so they were too late to save you," he said simply, shrugging his shoulders.

"Wait…..I am now dead because Aria decided to get some more people when she could have just called them to meet them at my place?" I asked, almost shrieking.

"More or less," he answered with a nod.

I stared at him in disbelief, trying to wrap my head around what he just told me. I was dead and my future was toast because Aria Montgomery couldn't have the common sense to use technology. I screamed at the top of my lungs, and almost heard my echo reverberate throughout the area. He just stood there and watched me; keeping his face neutral to his credit.

I think at this point, I had an absolute hatred of Aria and her boyfriend; wishing that I had made more of their lives hell when I was still A. I wanted to now haunt her for the rest of eternity, her and Ezra Fitz out of spite. Come to think of it, I wonder if I could do that and considered asking the mysterious stranger whom I had yet to identify.

"So what now? If I am now dead, what's the point of me sticking around?" I inquired in my effort to calm down.

"Well, it is believed that you can still affect the outcome of things here in Rosewood even though you have a handicap of sorts," He stated with a smile that I wanted to punch.

"I am a ghost; what do you want me to do, haunt Alison?" I asked sarcastically.

"No; you are to help your still living friends to bring down the ones who killed you," was the answer I received and I could just stare at him dumbfounded.

"What are you? And why take my memories if you want me to help take down Alison?" I demanded, taking a step towards him.

"For your first question, I am a Reaper. My job is to bring souls to either Heaven or Hell. My kind are normally supposed to come for those whose appointed time is up as mandated by the Angel of Death. However, when it came to you Mona Vanderwaal, there was a complication with the process," the Reaper explained to me.

"What complication?" I asked, now more curious than ever.

"When you die, a Reaper such as myself is there instantly to either send your soul to Heaven or open a portal to Hell and send you downwards.

"Because you weren't supposed to die, your soul lingered for a while and thus you don't have some of your memories right now. Which could come back to you at some point I believe," he stated.

"But why not just send me now?" I wanted to know.

"Because your redemption was tied to your continued life and resolving what was happening behind the scenes in this town. As it is, you are technically bound for Hell because of what you did; although minor compared to Alison. If you had lived, you would have had a bright future including going to Heaven," the Reaper answered.

"So by keeping me here, I have a chance to help and thus be allowed to go to Heaven which should have happened if Aria hadn't screwed me over?" I concluded, looking at him for confirmation.

"Exactly; which would uncomplicated everything," he said as a matter of fact.

"But what about my memories? How can I help if the knowledge that I could pass on is not there?" I inquired.

"They should come back at some point; though I am not sure when. I was tempted to ask but that would involve asking someone in Heaven and we wish to keep this incident in house," the Reaper said as if this was some sort of embarrassment that needed to stay off the radar.

"Terrific; so I have to somehow find out what I knew before I died and help take down A with only Caleb to help me," I said, wondering if there was more.

"Pretty much; I'd help but I am not allowed to discharge what you need to know since I am bound by the rules of creation," the Reaper informed me with an apologetic look.

"Why Caleb though; can you explain to me that?" I requested since I had yet to get the story from him.

"Let's just say that Caleb Rivers is another complicated matter that is tied to the other side. I would highly advise that you hurry to resolve things and be passed on to Heaven because I have it on good authority that Mr. Rivers has run afoul of a very dark creature that is holding a grudge," he cautioned and I nodded, not sure what to think about that.

I was starting to wonder if I should have paid a little bit more attention to Church.

"Since you keep telling me that there are rules, am I bound by any?" I inquired, wanting to know what was stacked against me besides the obvious.

"Imagine that, an intelligent question. Other than Caleb Rivers, you cannot be seen by anyone else who is from Rosewood, unless there are special circumstances. Also, you are stuck here and cannot pass on unless things are resolved fully. So you cannot just take down Alison and that's it; everything has to be revealed and all lies exposed in this town," the Reaper informed me.

"That's it?" I asked, hoping that there was nothing else, what he told me wasn't too bad.

"Well there is one more thing; you cannot kill anyone. If you do, then down you go," I was told with the Reaper emphasizing that point quite firmly.

"How can I kill anyone? I am a ghost that lacks a physical form," I stated, objecting to the thought that I could kill anyone.

Yes, I hit Hanna with my car and did some things that put the girls in danger; but I never actually killed anyone. I also never really caused the deaths of anyone else since it was the girl's own actions that did that. Ian might have been a s***, but it was Spencer and Alison who directly caused his death. My own death could have been avoided if it weren't for the girls and their incompetence.

"You may be a ghost, but you can still affect the physical environment around you that could cause a death if you are not careful. So try and keep your emotions in check since anymore complications would not be good for anyone," he warned.

"I will try; I'll just have to stay away from Alison since I would kill her if I could," I stated honestly. If I ever regretted not smothering someone with a pillow when I had the chance, it was now.

"Please do. Well since you are now well informed, I have to go now," the Reaper said as he turned to go.

"Wait, you're just going to leave me here in the middle of nowhere?" I objected, expecting some sort of help getting back to town.

"What…you want a ride? For the amount of trouble you have caused, you can walk," the Reaper said as he snorted and vanished. I was once again in the darkness of the lake shore.

After screaming that echoed all throughout the area, I sighed and started to walk towards the general direction of town. I suppose there was a general advantage to having to walk all that way as a ghost since I couldn't get tired and have to stop to rest. But that didn't make it any less irritating to have to travel this way.

I should have asked him what I could do as a ghost; maybe teleportation was a part of my skill set.

I had to admit it was beautiful night for a walk, given that I was out in the middle of nowhere and still a ways from town. While in the car, I hadn't realized that we had travel that far and once again should have paid attention to my surroundings. I don't think I was lost, but it was going to take a while to get back to town.

Of course that left me with a predicament; where was I going to go? I suppose it would be best to go back to the cabin and let Caleb in on what I have found out. While I was still wrestling with the decision to inform him on Mike, Lucas, and Jason; I could still lead him back here to check out the car that A tried to dispose of. There had to be a reason why A went to all the trouble to shove the car into the lake.

I would have to enter Rosewood proper to get a general direction of where to go in order to head to Caleb's. I did know for a fact that I was far away and that it would take me hours to get there. Maybe if I got lucky, I could catch a ride on a traveling car once I figured out a way to jump in without just going through it.

I also needed to figure out how to recall my memories if I was to resolve things and move on. According to the Reaper, the memories weren't completely gone and could possibly be recovered so I had to figure out how; maybe with Caleb's help which I sadly needed. The Reaper said that Caleb was the only one in Rosewood who could see me and it appeared that I was stuck with him.

Woe is me.

After hours of walking, or what I felt were hours, I made my way to the outskirts of town. I knew immediately the general area of where I was, and knew which direction to go that would lead me back to where Caleb was staying. Unfortunately, there were no cars heading that way and  
>I was forced to walk the rest of the way; at least the streets were practically empty and there was nothing of interest to sidetrack me.<p>

It was the middle of the night when the cabin finally came into view and I sighed in relief since my journey was finally done. I considered screaming that I was home, just to be a b*** to my new roomie; but I needed Caleb so that was out. It was time to bury my pride and ask him for help. It wasn't like he could refuse since he needed me as well as I needed him.

As I moved closer to the cabin, I saw that a light was coming from the window that indicated that Caleb was still up. That worked in my favor since it meant that I didn't have to wait until morning to inform him of my day. So as I moved through the door, I figured he was busy on his laptop finding out who Alison's partner was.

What I wasn't expecting was to find a nearly naked Hanna on the couch.

**Please R&R and a thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Finding Hanna in her underwear was more annoying than embarrassing.

I had seen her naked a number of times when we had still been hanging out together; during our many trips to the mall with us showing off our various outfits.

The problem now was that it had been pretty obvious to what had been going on before I had arrived; making me glad that I had taken the long way home. Given that the cabin was a good distance from anywhere, finding something to do while Caleb and Hanna entertained themselves would not have worked. If I had the ability to smell, I am sure sex would have been in the air.

Hanna was currently asleep on the couch, all laid out in lacy white underwear and a marching bra. She was curled up, facing the door, which was stupid since anyone could walk in and see her. Of course the risk of that was null given that it was the middle of the night; unless Ashley came knocking which would be hilarious in my opinion.

The thing about being a ghost was that I didn't make a sound when I moved; allowing me to sneak up on anyone I wanted. As Caleb sat at the table in his boxers and nothing else, I slowly made my way towards him without being detected. I stopped when I was only a few feet away and stared at him, pondering on how to get his attention. Eventually, I just decided on the easy way.

"Whatcha doing?" I asked in a sweet voice I mimicked from a cartoon I once say; couldn't remember the name other than it was on Disney. Caleb practically jumped and turned towards me in surprise.

"Shh…don't want to wake the n*** girl on the couch do we?" I indicated as more of a statement than a question as I put my finger to my lips.

"It's not what it looks like," Caleb said, and I almost laughed on how embarrassed he looked right now.

"Really? Looks like you and Hanna had a productive day," I mocked, emphasizing the productive part of the statement. I knew Hanna used birth control, but it was fun to mess with Caleb like this.

"We didn't have sex; Hanna just decided to spend the night but forgot to bring something," Caleb said, almost stuttering his words.

"And you couldn't lend her a shirt?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at him. I didn't buy his explanation in the slightest.

"I didn't have any clean ones because I forgot to do laundry. Listen, I already went through this with Hanna, so let it go." Caleb said in a quiet, but annoyed tone of voice in order not to wake Hanna. I just snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Whatever; I have something for you. I found the car that the person who tried to break in last night was using," I informed him as I took a seat at one of the chairs at the table; specifically the one that was pushed out since sitting at a chair that was pushed with the table phasing through you was kind of silly to look at.

"Where is it? Did you recognize the owner?" Caleb asked, excited, but still keeping his voice lowered while glancing at Hanna.

"No; she was all covered up. Which was hilarious since she wasn't pulled over but then again, this is Rosewood," I sarcastically answered.

"What about the car?" Celeb asked, moving the conversation along though he seemed to have agreed with me.

"In the lake on the other side of town; A decided to dump it for some reason, we need to check it out in the morning," I said.

"Didn't you see anything?" he asked.

"It was dark and I didn't realize that the car was being dumped until we were both in the lake," I informed him with a frown on my face.

"Are you okay?" Caleb asked, actually sounding concerned.

"Yeah; it's not like I could die again," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. I was slightly touched by his concern but it was still a stupid question.

"So you have been at the lake all day?" He asked me and I found myself in a bind. While I was tempted to tell him about the trio of Mike, Lucas, and Jason; I was reluctant to do so given that those three were still under the radar.

"Mostly but I ran into my friend from the church; I now know what is going on with me," I stated and I proceeded to tell him everything the Reaper said.

He sat there and listened to me while Hanna slept on the couch. He seemed to be taking it very calmly, and I remembered that he had encountered the supernatural before. When I mentioned what the Reaper had said about how I was supposed to have survived my attack, he seemed taken aback and looked at Hanna with concern.

"I don't blame her, so relax," I stated and I meant it. He nodded and looked relieved; he must have thought that I had blamed her and would have it out on her."So did this Reaper give you anything else useful besides how you are supposed to move on?" Caleb asked, looking at the sleeping Hanna to make sure she was still out.

"Only that my memories might come back when I encounter something familiar," I told him and he nodded.

"So we have to take you to places that you have been before in order to jog your memories," he stated and I nodded in agreement.

"Just little steps for now, but we need to get to that car before its discovered by someone else," I said, looking at the clock and seeing that it was only a few hours until daylight.

"Well I can't yet; I have school and I can't afford to miss any classes, or Hanna will get mad," Caleb said, taking another look at the sleeping blond on the couch.

"Then I'll go with you," I said reluctantly; Caleb look at me in surprise.

"Are you ready to take that step? You still haven't learned to control your emotions and school should be the last place you go," he cautioned me, looking concerned.

"School was where I made most of my plans and where I needed to store material when I couldn't get to my lair. It's the perfect place for me to try and remember things," I argued.

"Do you really think you might have hid clues at school?" he asked me, crossing his arms and still keeping his voice low.

"I might have, we will just have to see," I said as I indicated to him that this was going to happen whether he liked it or not.

"Fine but you have to stay close to me and away from Alison," he practically ordered and I was tempted to say something snarky in response.

"Are you afraid that I will do something to her? I am a ghost. I can't do anything," I said and I was glad that Hanna couldn't hear me since that would have woken her up for sure.

"You may be a ghost, but you can still hurt someone if you really mean it," Caleb informed me and seemed quite serious about it.

"The Reaper said that; how can I though?" I inquired, more for curiosity than anything else.

"I am not sure I want to tell you Mona," he said, looking like he didn't trust me in the slightest.

"If I wanted Alison dead, I would have killed her years ago and dumped her body where no one could ever find her," I said, angered that he thought I was a murderer.

"Even though she might have something to do with your death now?" Caleb pressed and I was starting to get annoyed.

"I am not a killer and besides if I do anything to her, it's straight to the pit," I said, pointing straight down.

"But there is still a risk," Caleb argued, shaking his head.

"Then don't tell me if it makes you happy; I am a smart girl, I can figure it out on my own," I said angrily.

"Just be careful when you see her," he said, shaking his head and sighing.

"If Alison dies now, then she dies a martyr and I want her to suffer. I would rather see her in jail with her reputation in the town destroyed forever than a fast death," I stated, fully meaning it. I wanted Alison DiLaurentis to live a hellish life on earth before she was sent to the abyss.

"That sounds like the Mona I know," Caleb muttered as he yawned and stood up, walking out of the kitchen and into his room. He returned with a blanket which he placed over Hanna before shutting off the lights and curling up on one of the other sofa chairs.

"Why aren't you going to your bed?" I asked as I sat in the darkness. It seemed kind of silly of him to lay there when there was a more comfortable place on the bed.

"Because I am not about to leave Hanna alone out here in her underwear while A is still out there," Caleb whispered in the darkness. I had to admit that he had a point.

Looking at the clock, I saw that it was almost 2am, and I decided to let him sleep since he needed to get up for school in about five hours. I was once again bored and given that every light in the cabin was off, it wasn't like I could move to another room in order to find something to do. There was nothing outside for me to do and I wasn't much of a stargazer; going to town wasn't an option given that there wasn't anything for me there currently.

Plus, I had done enough walking for the day.

Getting out of the chair, I lay on the floor and looked up at the ceiling, trying to concentrate on recovering my memories. I had often lain like this when I needed to study for a test, pushing out all distractions. I focused on all the information that I did know and then tried to fill in the gaps that were in between holes in my memory.

I also considered places where I could have left clues by imagining if I were still A. I thought about places that I knew were safe to store little pieces of information that I could easily get to without anyone noticing. Though most were now compromised by some of my former partners, there were still a few that I had kept to myself and would reveal to Caleb since I could no longer use them.

I lay in one spot all night; never having to move since there was no need. I could hear both Caleb and Hanna in the night, slightly snoring when they moved into a different position. While I never paid much attention to Caleb, I knew full well that Hanna always snored when she was on her back. She always stopped when she was on her sides or flat on her stomach; I had to move her into those positions when she had slept over at my house on occasion.

As the sun began to rise and light shined into the cabin, Hanna was the first to stir as the sunlight directly fell on her. As she stirred awake and stretched out, I sat up and smiled since I knew what was going to happen here in a few seconds. Though it was still some time before school, Hanna always panicked when it came to getting herself ready.

"Damn it; I need to get home," stated Hanna, she jumped up from the couch and went for her clothes that were lying in a pile in the corner. While Caleb blinked himself awake, Hanna gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, before running out the door; somewhat dressed though missing her shoes and socks.

"That was entertaining; kind of," I said as I sat on the floor. Caleb stood up and stretched, looking down at me on the ground, puzzled.

"Why are you on the ground?' he asked me, almost demanding and looking around at all the unused chairs that I could be on.

"I needed to meditate and I found that lying flat on my back helps," I informed him, slightly irked by his tone.

"Since when do you meditate?" he asked me, a little more sarcastically than I would have liked.

"When I needed to think up stuff for my schemes back in the day," I answered him with a smirk. Caleb just glared at me and headed into the bedroom to get ready for school.

It was about forty-five minute before he was ready to go. When Caleb came out, he looked a lot more cleaned up than I have seen him so far; he even shaved with his face looking smooth. He was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a checkered flannel over-shirt that looked ugly in my opinion, but it was something Hanna would find attractive.

"So are you still coming?" Caleb asked me as he put on his shoes and tied the laces.

"Yep; can't do anything here and there are a few places I need to check at school," I answered him and I stood near the door.

"What do you mean?" he inquired as he checked his backpack to make sure that he had everything he needed.

"Back when I was the only "A", I had secret hiding places that I used to store stuff in the school. I am hoping that the ones that I only used might have something," I informed him and he nodded, putting his bag on his shoulder and grabbing his keys.

We walked out of the cabin and Caleb locked up behind him while I got in the car, taking the passenger seat. While he was buckling up, Caleb looked at me and was about to say something when he suddenly shook his head and started the car. Puzzled, I was about to inquire on what he was going to say when I realized that the idiot was going to ask if I was going to put my seatbelt on; at least he stopped himself before asking that stupid question.

"How has school been?" I asked, ending the silence after a few minutes on the road.

"About the same, though your death is still the talk of the class, as well as the animosity between the girls and Alison," he answered while he drove.

"At least I am not forgotten," I said, a little sadness in my voice. If there was one thing I never wanted, it was to be forgotten.

"I don't think Rosewood High will ever forget you Mona," Caleb said and I wasn't sure whether he was being sarcastic or sympathetic. I would like to think it was the latter rather than the former.

It was about ten minutes before we had arrived at school and I realized that it was still early. Classes would not start for another hour and there was little need to show this early unless Caleb had to do something. As he pulled into the parking lot and found a space towards the front of the school, I noticed Hanna's car parked as well as Emily's.

"Why so early?" I asked perplexed as we got out of the car.

"You'll see," was all that Caleb said and I followed him up the steps to the main entrance where we went inside. He opened the door while I just went through the wall.

In the main hallway I saw Hanna and Emily lighting candles, causing me to look at Caleb in puzzlement, he just motioned for me to go look. After closer inspection, I realized that the candles were part of a memorial dedicated to me; I then cried out, putting my hand to my mouth and dropping to my knees.

Sitting on a small table was a picture of me taken just after my makeover; I was smiling and my hair was down, wearing a white t-shirt.  
>All around the picture were candles of various types and sizes, illuminating the photo of me. With the way it was set up, the memorial was the first thing seen when one came into the school.<p>

To say I was touched was an understatement.

"When was this done?" I asked, barely a whisper coming from my mouth.

"It was set up after Thanksgiving when you were confirmed to be dead," Caleb answered, keeping his voice low so that only I could hear him.

"And it's been maintained for this long?" I asked, looking over at him. Caleb nodded in reply as Hanna and Emily finished the lighting.

I was still on my knees on the floor, affected by the scene. Alison never got a memorial such as this here in school; even by the girls when they were still her friends. Only her mother ever really made a big deal about Alison when she was first gone, doing everything possible to remind the town of the blond. It was nice to know that I was getting little things like this that meant something rather than some grandiose event.

I was in a happy place despite my situation; until Alison and her posse appeared.

**Please R&R and a special thanks to my Beta for the pre-read!**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

Apparently I was wrong; I couldn't hold in my emotions around Alison.

As soon as my eyes landed on Alison and her new group of friends, there was a fury of activity in the school hallway that caught everyone's attention.

First off there was the flashing lights that caused everyone to look up. After that, the air began to get colder until everyone's breath could be seen; causing some to reach for their coats. The last thing was what really caused a scene; a sudden wind that blew out the candles that Emily and Hanna just lit. The wind was so sudden and strong that it even flipped a few skirts.

"Calm down," Caleb said quietly while everyone was distracted. There was an urgent tone to his voice and I nodded, trying to do what he asked.

I took deep breaths and closed my eyes, struggling to rein in my anger. Seeing Alison again just open the flood gates of my emotions; even more so than when I first found out about my former ally's betrayal. Speaking of which, it was weird how much they now resembled the other girls; especially Mindy who tried to mimic Hanna but was just funny to look at.

It was obvious that Alison was behind Mindy's transformation since only she could be so cliché and unimaginative. The first thing was the hair, which was dyed blond to try and match Hanna's; but given that both teens hair texture was so different, Mindy's came out too funky be being too smooth. The next thing was the contacts that seemed to try and mimic my former friend's eye color which was another dud. Then finally was the outfit, a short blue skirt and white shirt that just made Mindy look silly rather than sexy.

In fact, that was what I concentrated on; Mindy's just laugh out loud funny imitation of Hanna which caused me to giggle as I looked at her. As the environment began to calm down, I just stood there giggling like a madman. Caleb looked at me in confusion and I wondered if he thought I had snapped.

"Sorry; she is just hilarious looking," I said to Caleb in between giggles, pointing at Mindy. While he didn't say anything, the smirk Caleb gave signaled to me that he agreed.

"Looks like you'll have to start all over," Alison said with a smirk that I wanted to hit. Jenna and Sydney looked at each other but kept their faces neutral while the twins just smiled.

"It's funny if you think about it," Emily suddenly said to Hanna, looking over at her with her own smirk.

"And what is that?" Hanna asked, not sure to what Emily was referring to.

"That Mona got a memorial here at school while there was none for Alison when people believed she was dead. Only her mother ever reminded us that Alison was gone but she was crazy after all," Emily stated, giving Alison a hard look. My eyes widened at what she had said as well as just about everyone else in the hallway.

That was something I expected from Hanna. That was something I definitely expected from Spencer. I could even possibly see it from Aria but only under extraordinary circumstances. But Emily, absolutely not; this girl practically invented the loving fan girl genre when it came to Alison.  
>To see her respond with such vitriol was almost mind boggling.<p>

Alison appeared to not have taken Emily's words too well since her face had a mixture of emotions. From what I could tell, there was a mix of furious rage and slight hurt emanating from Alison; almost making me feel sorry for her even though she had brought this all on herself. While Jenna and Sydney looked a little concerned, Cindy and Mindy almost looked terrified; scooting away from the blond ever so slightly.

I caught a shared look of concern between Caleb and Hanna, causing me to be puzzled by it for a minute until I understood why. I remembered Caleb telling me that A had taken a special interest in Emily as of late; doing some pretty brutal things to the teen some of which she was unaware of. It didn't take a genius such as myself to realize that Emily might get a pretty harsh retaliation from A.

Alison gave Emily one last glare before storming off with her posse closely behind. Even though she couldn't see me, I flipped the blond and her friends off and Caleb just shook his head. Hanna and Emily went back to relighting all the candles that I had accidently blown out; which I felt guilty about since I couldn't help them out. It was another few minutes before they were done and Spencer and Aria showed up.

"Have you guys seen Mike this morning?" Aria asked after everyone greeted each other.

"He hasn't been here," Hanna said and Emily shook her head as well.

"Ok, that doesn't make sense. Mike left early because he said that he was going to help you guys with the memorial," Aria explained, now looking concerned.

"Well we haven't seen him; maybe he got cold feet. I am not the only one who is mourning Mona right now," Hanna stated, with a slight hurt in her voice.

"He's been acting really strange lately and I think he has been skipping his therapy sessions," Aria informed the group.I gave a long hard sigh and shook my head; wondering if I should tell Caleb about Mike's extracurricular activities after all. While me and Aria had our issues, I never wanted to get between the two even when I was working for Ezra. I was actually a little envious since I had no siblings growing up, or any close family other than my mother. I also had left Mike and his parents alone during my time as A since I had a respect for close families, unless there were secrets that needed to be exposed.

The downside of telling Caleb about Mike was that Aria would rush on in and confront her brother right away. This would catch the attention of A which would then put Jason and Lucas in the spotlight, and then in danger. I couldn't let more people die because of me so I decided to stay silent, and let Mike's partners keep an eye on him for the time being. And though it sounded selfish, those three were at least doing something relevant and I didn't want that ruined.

While the four girls were focused on their eternal discussion, Caleb moved a little closer to me.

"What is it?" he asked me very quietly, catching me by surprise.

"What do you mean?" I inquired, keeping my tone and face neutral.

"When Aria mentioned Mike, you looked like you knew something," Caleb said, and I could hear the accusatory tone in his voice. I knew that I had to lie to him but needed to make sure that he didn't see through it.

"I was just thinking that Mike skipping his group sessions doesn't sound like something he would do. I was thinking that Aria might not realize that he might have found some other source for comfort," I stated; making what I said as interpretive as possible. I wasn't technically lying to him but just not telling him what I knew.

It wasn't like he could do anything about it. While I needed him to help me move on by bringing down Alison and A, granted if they were separate people, he needed me more since I was the only one with real information; once I remembered everything that is. Even if he found out that I was keeping secrets from him, it wasn't like he could cut me loose. You can't ignore a ghost; especially one like me.  
>Caleb just shrugged and seemed to believe me, making me feel somewhat relieved though slightly guilty at the same time.<p>

There was an increase in activity as more people began to enter the school and head to their classes. Since Caleb and Hanna had separate classes this time in the morning, they quickly kissed and then Hanna joined the girls to head to first period. I followed Caleb to his locker and stood there while he grabbed his stuff. I noticed that he was a little cautious when opening his locker; which I understood given the threat that was out there.

"So I am going to check out all my former hiding places here and I'll let you know if I find anything," I told him as he closed his locker.

"Just make sure you stay away from Alison; we don't want any more accidents," Caleb muttered, almost making it an order. Lucky for him, the noise from the many students heading to classes muffled out his words.

"I will; I am here for information not petty revenge," I said but nodded in agreement none the less. As the first bell rang, he walked away to his first class.

I knew the first location I wanted to check which would take me to the basement of the school. Despite it being a high school, Rosewood High had a few secrets that had long been forgotten by school administrators; a series of secret rooms in the basement. During Prohibition, the school had been used to store smuggled alcohol by the mob into Philadelphia. I found out about that during a school project and found the secret rooms, using them to house things during my days as A.

With luck, I might have left some useful things in one of those rooms. I had never told anyone about them, especially not Toby or Lucas, and had been careful not to be followed when I had a need to escape to them. I even went to the trouble of destroying any evidence of their existence in order to keep them a secret just in case there was a place I needed to hide during the worst case scenario.

I made my way to the basement steps, keeping close to the walls and only moving through walls into classrooms if I had to. I was trying to keep myself anonymous in case Caleb wasn't the only one who could see me; as unlikely of a scenario as that was, it never hurt to be careful. As the second bell rang, the halls began to empty and I found myself with a little more room to move freely.

I didn't really care if I caused cold spots, but there were enough geeks like me in school that any one of them could think the school was haunted if I wasn't careful. I didn't think that anyone would actually believe that I could haunt the school, but one could never know. I was here to solve a problem, not cause new ones with everyone believing that my spirit had returned. Though the idea had a certain appeal and I wondered if I should make a visit to the school showers to have some fun with the water.

As always, the doors to the basement looked to be sealed; something new since I was last in school. Ignoring the signs and even the door itself, I went right through and found myself in pure darkness. Wishing for some sort of light, I was forced to let my eyes adjust and slowly walked down the steps so that I wouldn't fall. Although even if I did fall, it wasn't like I could break something.

It was times like this, while wandering in the dark, that I was glad that I was a ghost. The ability not to be harmed, gave me a sense of relief and the courage I needed in the barely lit area. It seemed that my eyes were getting better in seeing in the dark though I wasn't sure why; whether it be because I was adjusting to my new situation or something else. I just hoped that I could do more in my situation.

The first room was hidden behind a wall, where a part of it functioned as a makeshift door; with a hole functioning as a doorknob of sorts. Since I couldn't pull the door open, I just went through the wall and into an empty room. While I had remembered that I had taken everything out of here shortly before the lodge fire, there was some hope that I had found use of it again. Seeing that there was nothing here, I moved onto the next room.

It was right next to this one so all I had to do was just go through the wall to reach it. This particular room still had things in it that dated back to the 1920s; stuff that allowed the making of bathtub gin. In fact there was an old metal tub in the center of the room, stained with rust and dirt after years of neglect. Other than the rotted tables and chairs, there was nothing here as well.

The last room was down the hall and had been used as a lair of sorts before I had rented that space at the lodge. Its door was hidden by a huge mirror that had a layer of dust on it, which led me to conclude that it had not been opened for a while. My suspicions were confirmed the second I went through the mirror and found nothing of value. I was disappointed since I had hope that there might have been something of value that I had left behind here.

Then again, this might have been the last place I would have hidden something that it could be found at a later time. I went to great lengths to make sure these rooms were only known by me and it would have been silly for me to think that an ally would find them by chance. While I could tell Caleb, I think that this particular area was a secret that I would take to my grave.

I headed out of the basement and into the hallway; pondering where to go next. There was my little hiding place in the girl's locker room or my secret spot in the school library. Since the locker room was the closest, I headed towards that direction. It should be empty right now though it didn't matter since no one could see me anyways.

As I walked down the hallway and passed locker after locker, I began to feel sadness since this was not the way I wanted leave this school. I had longed for my graduation day and to leave this school with my head held high, knowing that I had survived the worst time of my life. But I hadn't survived and all I could do now is to at least make sure Alison couldn't walk down the aisle; unless it was in an orange jumpsuit.

Surprisingly, the locker room wasn't as empty as I though with a few people changing into their gym clothes. I ignored them and went to my old gym locker at the end of the room and away from everyone else. Sadly, Alison had made me a little self-conscious back during freshman year and I had gotten paranoid about my figure; kind of silly now that I thought about it.

Poking my head through the metal door, I sighed in frustration since there was nothing here as well. I sat down on the bench and tried to think up other places that I might have hidden something relevant that could be found. Maybe I should check the places that I had told Lucas and Toby about in the off chance that there was something there. That opened up another few more places in the school that there was more than enough time to check; and keep me distracted from Alison.

I was about to leave when I heard a familiar sound coming my way. Looking over into the next row of lockers, I saw that Jenna had come in alone and was at her locker. Unlike the other locker doors in the room, Jenna's was protected by a padlock than required a key instead of a combination because of her lack of sight. Pulling the key out of her big red purse, she opened up her locker and began to grab her clothes inside.

Once upon a time, I had actually felt sorry for the girl in front of me; now though it was a mix of anger at her betrayal. I had helped Jenna so many times in the past, whether it had been burying her secrets or giving the blind girl information to protect herself with. It was I who tipped her off about Shana, which had allowed Jenna to turn Alison's oldest friend against her. Jenna had owed me everything and now it seemed that it had been a wasted effort.

Jenna's appearance had changed somewhat since I had last seen her and not in the better in my opinion. Not only was she dressing a bit like Alison now but had also dyed her hair to match as well. It was disgusting that the blind woman had sold her soul to the devil even though I knew I didn't know the whole story. But then again, I didn't care because betrayal was betrayal no matter what the reason was.

As she changed out of her clothes and into her gym clothes, I pondered if I should do something while we were alone.

Caleb had told me to stay away from Alison; he said nothing about her posse.

**Please R&R and a special thanks to my Beta Paraddicted!**


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

A part of me knew this was wrong.

But I didn't care because I had considered Jenna a close ally, and her betrayal was hurting me the most right now.

I watched Jenna change into her gym clothes, and pondered on what to exactly do to her that would not be considered overboard. I didn't want to hurt her per say, but I felt that Jenna needed to understand that siding with Alison had been a bad idea. It wasn't about revenge this was about justice. While I had yet to fully realize what I could do yet, there were some things that knew that I could do now.

Taking a seat next to Jenna, I closed my eyes and allowed my anger to boil; accomplishing that by reminding myself of the situation that I was now in. As my raged rose, the lights began to flicker and the air began to get cold until you could see Jenna's breath. I was trying to mimic what I had done earlier to give the blind girl a bit of scare.

That is in the end all I wanted to do; just scare Jenna since it was Alison that I wanted to see suffer for all of the things that she had done.

My little show was starting to pay off even though it was a bit mediocre at best so far. Jenna seemed spooked as she hurried to get her shirt on, using her ears to hear if there was anyone within her vicinity that could be considered a threat. From what I understood, Jenna's eyesight was getting worse every day, and I wondered how much of it was left since my death all those months ago.

When she was done, Jenna closed her locker and went for her walking stick which I was sitting on in a sense. To reach for it, her hand had to go right through my body, and I was curious to see what would happen; the area where we were in was already cold and my present form had to be a lot chillier. My suspicions were right when she reacted violently by jerking her hand back suddenly as if it was in pain.

"What the hell?" Jenna asked, both in confusion and in pain.

"A little cold for you Jenna?" I asked in a mocking tone, watching as she tried to reach for the stick again but to no avail.

As she sat there and appeared to not know what to do, I realized how vulnerable she must be feeling right now. An old part of me cherished what I was doing to Jenna since I felt it was for justice. Jenna had hurt and betrayed a lot of people in her time so I didn't feel too bad by doing this; especially after what she did to Toby.

Then again, this could count against me by the Reaper and that thought was enough to sober me up. I got up and stepped away from the blind girl as she reached for her stick for a third time, finding the cold spot gone. She was still confused and I could see the fear in her eyes, causing me to feel slightly guilty for what I had done. I let her walk away and sighed as I sat down on the bench.

Maybe, just maybe Jenna and Sydney had good reasons for what they were doing. Maybe they were scared after what happened with me, and took Alison's offer for friendship to stay safe. Maybe they were playing Alison for a fool and working against her in order to get justice for me. They were reassuring thoughts and might be true; though I had no proof.

As for Cindy and Mindy; they were weak but I suppose I couldn't blame them for wanting to fit in.

Getting up, I decided to look in one last spot before heading back to Caleb's side. I left the locker room just as Emily and Paige made their way inside, still in their swimsuits. Emily headed towards my way and had quite a serious look on her face while Paige followed closely behind. I stepped aside and just observed their curious activity. Water dripped from their bodies, and I concluded that they had just emerged from the pool.

When I was last alive, Emily had just became the assistant coach for the swim team and was too injured to swim. Seeing her in the team uniform caused me to think that there was a chance that she back on the team as a participant; though I wondered if it was in an official capacity. Maybe Emily went to some sort of rehab or had an operation that put her back in the pool.

"See anything?" Paige asked as Emily appeared to be looking around for something. They were checking out the area where Jenna's locker was and I wondered what was up.

"No; whatever freaked Jenna out isn't here," Emily said and I shook my head, cursing at myself.

"Maybe it was nothing; Jenna just having a guilty conscience about what she's doing," Paige suggested, looking around to see if there was anyone else was in the locker room. Currently it was just the three of us.

"Yeah, it was me; I'm sorry," I said and I meant it since it obviously gave them a false alarm. Even if they couldn't hear me, it didn't hurt to be apologetic to them.

"I guess you're right; I was just hoping for a clue of some sorts," Emily admitted, turning back towards her girlfriend. It was nice that they were together now with Emily throwing off Alison for good.

"You'll get through this; I promise," Paige declared, taking both of Emily's hands in hers and pulling Emily close. Their lips met and I wasn't sure to find the scene touching or groan in boredom.

Their lip locking continued for another couple of seconds and I became somewhat alarmed when Emily's hands left Paige's, going to her back to move her closer. This was a bit more intense than what I have seen before when it came to Emily's make out sessions; and I have seen a great deal of those ever since Maya. What was interesting about this was that Emily was the one who was aggressive instead of being dominated.

I became even more alarmed when Emily's hands went to Paige's butt and saw that there was some serious grabbing going on. I could hear a sensual groan coming from Paige, and I looked around to see if anyone else was watching. Not only was this little escapade going from a PG-13 to an R-Rated thing, I was risking seeing something that I really didn't want to. When did Paily become so intense?

"We should stop," Paige said, breaking off from a kiss and nervously looking around for spectators. Emily nodded and stepped back, smiling at her girlfriend, clasping her hand.

"Sorry; just got caught up in the moment," Emily stated sheepishly, looking a little guilty.

"I am not mad, but this isn't the place for this; we might get caught," Paige said and Emily smiled in agreement.

I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn't have to escape the lesbian p*** that might have occurred just now. While I had done a great deal of surveillance of these girls over the years, I had been somewhat respectful when it came to intimate moments like this. I had even turned off the camera when Aria and Ezra had that night at his apartment last year.

"So did you want me to come with you and Hanna on Saturday?" Paige asked as the two started making their way back to the pool. I decided to follow them more out of curiosity than anything else.

"Umm…..let me check with Hanna but I have no problem with it," Emily said as she held the door open for the other girl; amusingly chivalrous in my opinion. I just followed behind, going through the door.

As expected, the school pool hadn't changed much since the last time I saw it. Of course, it was only a few months since my death so there wasn't really much that could change physically in the school. The pool looked like it was partitioned off for the period with the gym class in one section and the swim team in another. It was unusual to see in this time of day and I wondered if this was the new norm for some reason.

I saw Jenna in the pool at the far side with her class; also seeing Cindy and Mindy as well. The three of them were huddled apart from the rest of the class but with no Alison; making me conclude that she wasn't in their class for this period. Sydney was with the swim team and practicing laps, but I thought I spotted her glancing at Jenna in between strokes.

I watched Emily and Paige squeeze each other's hands before the both of them dived into the pool to rejoin the team. The coach was on the cement, barking out instructions and looking at her clipboard. It appeared that the team had a new swim coach since I knew every administrator and teacher in the school, she looked unfamiliar. The woman appeared to be quite young, maybe Ezra's age, and I found the blue streak in her hair quite contemporary for a teacher at Rosewood High.

I thought about leaving and heading to another part of the school, but the idea of causing a little bit of mischief seemed a little enticing. While harassing a blind girl was a bit out of taste, there was her partner currently in the pool. Come to think of it, I wasn't sure what to classify the relationship between Jenna and Sydney; I knew they were close but was unsure if they were bed buddies. Jenna's relationship preference's always seemed to change like the seasons and keep you guessing.

With a smirk on my face, I jumped into the pool since I knew that I couldn't get wet. I sank to the bottom and it felt weird that there was water all around me though I couldn't feel any of it. I could hear the faint sounds of what was going on above; though muffled by the water itself. I briefly tested my voice with a La and found that the water had no impact on my voice; which meant that I could carry on a conversation down here if I chose.

Seeing what I could do, I jumped up lightly and found that I could float upwards if I wanted. This helped since it meant that I could reach the pool stairs at the far end so that I could simply just walk out. Finding myself back on the bottom, I watched as various swimmers from either the school team or class move about above me. I zeroed in on Sydney though and made my way towards her.

When she was right above me, I jumped and floated towards her in an effort to change the temperature of the water around her; more as a harmless prank than anything else. I wasn't going to touch her per say since I was unsure what the effects of my cold form would be in the water; for all I knew, I could cause her death by giving Sydney hypothermia, and that would definitely send me to the abyss.

Something surprising happened though as I moved closer to Sydney. While I moved closer to her as she swam, she suddenly stopped with her head still in the water and almost appeared to be looking straight at me. While I moved closer and was curious to her new behavior, Sydney also moved her head more into the pool and appeared to be focusing her eyes through her goggles.

When I was a foot away and stared right in to her eyes, Sydney suddenly screamed and filled her lungs full of water. I watched as she flayed in panic, doing her best to get out of the pool as fast as she could until I saw exit. Realizing that she might have seen me for some unknown reason, I also quickly made my exit, practically running to the other end and leaping for the surface.

I didn't even cause a ripple as I broke the surface of the pool, climbing out as quickly as I could. When I was fully out, I watched as everyone huddled around Sydney while she was coughing up pool water onto the cement floor. Jenna was trying to comfort her while Cindy and Mindy looked around, seeming lost on what to do; guess that without Alison, the two were nothing but herd less sheep.

Having a sinking feeling, I moved closer to the group of teens to see what Sydney was say. On closer look, Sydney was in full panic and practically jabbering to Jenna; though a concerned Emily and Paige had joined their side. Jenna hugged the girl close to her and was whispering in Sydney's ear out of a rare compassion that came out on occasion.

"I saw her," Sydney said in a low whisper, though I am pretty sure Emily and Paige could hear her too given their sudden eye contact.

"Who did you see?" Jenna asked, keeping her voice as quiet as possible so that no one else could hear. Like me, Emily and Paige could hear her; doing their best to lean in close since Jenna was too blind to notice.

"I saw Mona. She was in the pool and coming right at me," Sydney stated with pure fear and I closed my eyes, mentally kicking myself for my stupidity.

"Mona's dead; okay? It was just your imagination," declared the blind girl, continuing to hold her close but trying to get Sydney to her feet. I noticed that the other pair of girls just looked at one another in confusion.

"It was her; she's back just like the cards said," stated the panicking teen, fully believing her own words.

While the three other teens looked unsure, I was curious and wanted to know more. Before that could happen, the coach appeared with the school nurse, and with Jenna they took Sydney away. I thought about following them but figured that I had done enough damage for the day. This was another lesson for me about how revenge led to very bad things; though the bit about the cards was something to follow up on.

Leaving the school pool, I headed to the library to check out another potential spot. It was still in the middle of the period and so the halls were still empty; which I was thankful for since I couldn't afford any more attention. If Sydney started blabbing about seeing me in the pool as well as the incident with Jenna, I had no doubt that someone would put two and two together and think this place was haunted.

Not to mention what was going to happen when Caleb found out about this little escapade.

Before I could enter the library, I once again saw a familiar face walking out of the office. I had been surprised that Alison hadn't been with her new posse at the pool, since she would have made sure that the group would have every class together. Seeing her alone perked my interest and I decided follow her; hoping that I could contain my emotions around her.

The way she walked down the hallway, it was like Alison ruled the school; which wasn't far from the truth in a sense. The way her strutted in the blue dress and brown boots was almost diva like, making me nearly sick because of what she did to get on top. It was the smirk though that really made me mad; the smirk that told everyone that she was the Queen and everyone in this town was beneath her.

Originally, I thought that she was heading back to class but as I followed closely behind, she seemed to be going for the exit of the school. This was peculiar because despite Alison's many flaws, skipping school was something that she never did. While it could be an emergency, I had my suspicions that it was something else so I stuck to her; thankful that I didn't have stay out of sight when tailing her.

I watched her walk right out the front doors of the school, flashing some sort of form to the hall monitor as she passed. The way he waved her off made me believe that Alison had done this before; making me wonder if this was a usual thing. Out of spite, I passed right through the man at the door; causing him to shake violently which brought a smirk to my face.

Once she was out the doors, her step seemed to quicken with me speeding up in order to remain close. I saw a black sedan pull into the parking lot and Alison headed towards it, almost running. The windows were tinted so I couldn't see who the driver was but I might get a good look once Alison opened the passenger side door. So I made sure to be in the right place to get a good look once the door was opened.

To my surprise, it was Cece Drake.

**Please R&R and another thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read.**


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

I was taken aback by seeing Cece Drake again.

Especially since she was wanted for the murder of a cop and had, from what I last heard, fled the country.

As Alison got into the car, I took the opportunity and charged at the vehicle; jumping through it to land on the backseat. It was just in time since the car took off when Alison got in, with me sitting in the backseat. I was slightly giddy since I knew that finally something was going to pay off in me coming with Caleb to school today.

It was also startling that Cece was driving around town and no one knew the wiser. Given the manhunt for her after she had escaped, I would have imagined that the police would have an eye out for the blond. Granted she was driving in a car with tinted windows, but someone should have spotted her when she filled up for gas. Once again I was reminded at the ineffectiveness of the Rosewood Police Department.

"You're late; I had planned on skipping school today," Alison stated testily to the driver.

"Well excuse me; I had to shake the cops earlier so that I wouldn't get caught," Cece informed sarcastically, giving Alison a look that showed that she couldn't care less about the fact that she was late. She was wearing all black, which was something a hoodie would be wearing.

"Did my sibling tell you what we are doing?" Alison asked, getting down to business. My eyes widened at the sibling remark since it meant that Jason was possibly in on it; thus my fear for Lucas and Mike went up a few notches.

"Of course she did; I just don't see why we are doing this where I am hiding out," Cece said and if I still had a heart, it would have stopped right now.

From what I knew, as well as everyone else on the planet, Alison only had one sibling and that was Jason. When Cece said "she", my mind was a buzz of thoughts on the implications since it opened up a whole new line of thinking. When it came to a possible list of suspects on who Alison's partner was, a sister wasn't even a possibility.

It wasn't even in the ballpark.

Sure Jessica DiLaurentis was somewhat of a loose woman when it came to extramarital affairs, but having another child in secret was something else. It was inconceivable that it was Kenneth's kid given that he was a straight arrow; or at least I think he was, since that family had more secrets than most of the people in Rosewood.

Of course, that led to the question of how Jessica could keep the existence of another child secret given her lifestyle. Like Alison, the woman lived for the limelight and I couldn't remember a time where she wasn't seen in town. There was the chance that this unknown sibling was older than Alison, thus why no one in town knew about her; Alison was born a year after the family had moved back to Rosewood.

"She said that we needed to bury something that I have in my bag," Alison said and there was something about her tone that bothered me. Something was going on and I was now on full alert on what it could be.

"Burying more evidence? I thought that you would have learned your lesson when Mona unearthed your others," Said Cece and a familiar memory popped into my head.

I remember spying on Alison when I was first starting out as A; I would follow her everywhere though I did my best to keep myself hidden. She used to bury things in random spots, and I would always unearth them after a day or so. Most of the things were silly stuff like pregnancy tests and tardiness warnings; but occasionally they were something really incriminating like some sort of object that one of the girls bought and Alison had stolen out of spite.

"Mona is dead and my sister is keeping watch over those bitches 24/7 so there is no risk of them finding anything that I choose to bury," Alison stated with a wicked smirk and a prideful tone that dripped with arrogance.

"It is still a big risk; your enemies are growing and even your power as A cannot overcome all of them at once," Cece cautioned her friend in an almost sisterly way.

And there it was, the statement that everyone knew but still wasn't sure of until now; Alison was A.

"They are inconsequential; my sister has dealt with the ones that mattered," Alison said, giving Cece a quick glare.

"Whatever," was all the other blond said, rolling her eyes and focusing on the road.

It occurred to me that we were leaving Rosewood all together; not just going to the outskirts but leaving the town all together. As we got onto the main highway, we must have traveled a good ways west for about ten minutes. As the trees began to get denser, Cece suddenly turned off the highway and we went down an isolated dirt road.

"I don't see why we have to bury your things where I am staying," Cece remarked as she turned onto another dirt road. I did my best to memorize the way since Caleb definitely needed to know about this.

Eventually, we stopped at a small wooden cabin on the edge of the woods.

It was a lot more isolated than the place that Caleb was staying at and I couldn't see any power lines; meaning that it was definitely off the grid. The wood of the cabin looked old but seemed well maintained given the lack of rot. I saw a chimney which meant that the only means of heat was wood burning; which explained the stack of wood on the side of the cabin. I was curious to whether or not it had plumbing since I didn't see an outhouse.

There was a mailbox though on the side of the dirt road that led to the cabin; meaning that there was some contact with the outside world. Since Cece couldn't be seen, I was curious if she received her supplies through the mail; something that I needed for Caleb to find out once I told him about this little shindig. How long has she been hanging out here? It had to be for a while though it was puzzling how she got back into the country without being detected.

"You bring the shovel?" Alison asked as she and Cece got out of the car.

"Always." answered the older woman, popping the trunk and grabbing the metal tool from the back.

The two walked away from the car and cabin, towards an open field in the back. I followed them very closely, happy for once that my new status as a ghost was coming in handy. The silence between the two was starting to annoy me since they were not giving up any of the useful information that I needed. But I suppose there was always time for that later when I start spying on Cece; though getting the info back to Caleb would be the challenge.

After a minute of walking, the two stopped over a pretty deep hole with a large pile of dirt beside it. Alison then dropped the whole bag into the hole while Cece just looked at her in confusion; which was understandable given that the hand bag was pretty expensive. Alison just smirked at the older blonde and shrugged.

"Got two more of them at home," informed the younger girl as she stared at the object in the ground. Looking around, I made sure to make a note of this exact location as well.

"Well here you go," Cece said, handing Alison the shovel; who just gave Cece a look of annoyance.

"You expect me to bury that? This is your family's property," stated Alison rather smugly; like menial labor was beneath her.

"And that is your incriminating evidence; I am not using the shovel," Cece said rather forcibly. Alison sighed angrily and grabbed the shovel, walking over to the pile of dirt.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I needed to bury something else as well; a loose end that my sister wanted me to get rid of a while ago," Alison suddenly said after a few shovels of dirt.

"What is that?" Cece asked off handily. Something was off and my instincts were telling me that something was about to happen although I did not know what.

"I'll show you but what is that?" Alison asked, pointing at something behind us.

I was looking away when it happened; the sound of something very hard hitting flesh which then caught my attention. I turned and could only stare at the sight of Alison standing over Cece Drake with a bloody shovel in her hand. The older blonde wasn't breathing, and I could see a part of her skull split open on the ground. It was apparent to me that she was now dead.

Looking at Alison's face, I couldn't help but be astounded by the lack of emotion given what she had just done. Cece Drake had been her best friend, and there was no appearance of any type of apology on the young teen's face; her blank face almost an eerie sight to me. Once again, I was reminded that this was the real Alison DiLaurentis; a sadistic bully who stepped over anyone who got in her way.

Kicking the body into the hole, the young blond shoveled dirt until it was completely covered. There were no tears or sorrow, just that same look of complete lack of emotion. When she was done, Alison threw the shovel into the air and into the field where it would get lost. It then occurred to me that she was wearing gloves so that there were no fingerprints. That is when I noticed another car pull up and a hoodie come out of the driver's seat.

I should have followed her and checked out the new person that had just joined us; but I was still too stunned after what just happened. I could only stare at the filled hole where Cece was now buried; a sense of pity of being murdered like that. The poor woman hadn't even seen it coming and I wondered if I had gotten a similar fate.

Was my death this quick or something more brutal?

While I couldn't smell, the appearance of smoke caught my attention and looked to see that the car that Cece was using was on fire. The hoodie had set fire to the vehicle and was now doing the same to the cabin; pouring gasoline on the porch and leading a trail back to the other car. Alison had already climbed inside the car and was letting her partner do the rest of the cleanup. After lighting a match, the hoodie jumped inside the vehicle which then sped off in a hurry.

"NO!" I screamed, running as fast as I could towards the car that was now gone, leaving me trapped here.

It was too late and there was no way for me to catch up. I looked around, not sure what to do and started to panic. The car was ablaze and there was nothing I could do about that with very critical evidence now up in smoke. The fire on the porch was starting to spread and I knew that I had to do something or all would be lost. So I ran up to the burning porch and hoped that my new ghost form could stop the flames.

Standing in the middle of the fire, I closed my eyes and focused once again on my anger in an attempt to stir up a cold chill. Reaching into my anger, I concentrated on the injustice of what just happened to Cece even though she was hardly an innocent person. Though she had many faults, the older blond didn't deserve to die like that in such a cruel way. It wasn't fair that her life had been cut short by someone who had been her friend, and almost like a younger sister.

My anger paid off and a cold chilly wind blew all around me. I kept concentrating until the flames started to die as the air around me froze; small icicles forming on the wood above me. The flames began to die until there was only smoke. I stayed like this for a while until there was no threat of a re-emerging fire.

Though there was always the risk of Alison coming back to finish the job, I hoped that the car fire would mask the fact that the cabin had survived.

I was now in a quandary on what to do; do I make my way back to Rosewood, or head inside the Cabin and see if there are any clues to be found? Passing up an opportunity like this would be stupid; unlike the other girls who did this regularly, I was smart enough not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Even if I did just witness a traumatic event like this and knew that I would be haunted by it later.

Heading inside the cabin, I noticed that the place was rather clean; contrast to what I saw at Caleb's place. There was a purple sofa in the middle of the front room and black oak coffee table that lay in front of it. On top of the table was a half-filled cup of tea, and a few gossip magazines scattered about. There was no television, but I did see a radio where one would usually be in front of the sofa. It was a rather old radio with a record player instead of a cd or mp3 device; a little old school like my setup in my old room.

There were a few dishes in the sink, and the kitchen was connected to the front room with no space in between. There also wasn't a table to sit at which indicated to me that Cece ate her meals on the sofa. There was an old fashioned ice box next to a wood burning stove that was for cooking. It was amazing that Cece could live like this and not go crazy; at least the bathroom looked a little more modern with a running toilet.

Sadly at first glance, there was nothing important to be seen. Nothing incriminating was laid out for me to see and no computer to be hacked; not that I could have hacked it anyways. I did see a phone charger on the radio and I was curious to how it could be charged without any power. I looked around for some sort of generator which I spotted in the corner to what looked like the back door.

The sole bedroom had a modern bed; contrast to the rest of the cabin. It was a rather clean room and everything was tidied up rather well. The dirty clothes were in the hamper and the floors were spotless of any loose objects. There was a desk in the corner and I walked over to it, hoping for something of use to me. While there were various papers strewn out, it was mostly about the manhunt for her than anything else.

I would need Caleb to look through the drawers since sticking my head in one wouldn't do me much good in trying to read in the dark. There was probably a ton of evidence to be found here, especially since Alison and her partner went to so much trouble to try to burn the place down. The problem was that I couldn't effectively look through anything given my ghostly state, and needed someone else to do it for me.

I realized that I needed to get back to him pronto and bring him out here before it was too late. I headed out of the cabin and towards the highway for the long trip back to Rosewood; hoping that I would get back sometime before tomorrow. Even though it was still mid afternoon, I had no clue on how long it would take.

As I walked to the highway, I was amazed on what I now knew but couldn't share with anyone right now. Cece was dead and Alison had a sister; presumably the one who killed me. Remembering what was said about my death, it had to be Alison's sister who had done me in since I supposedly fought back and Alison herself didn't have a scratch on her. Had I discovered the sister before my death?

I don't think I did, but there was a lot that I didn't remember right now so it is possible that I knew about her all along.

It took a bit but I managed to make it to the main highway without incident; though it wasn't like I was in any danger. I knew the way back to Rosewood but walking would take too long, possibly even days although it might be a tad sooner if I just ran for it. I couldn't get tired anyway.  
>I went for a full sprint. I was in a hurry since Alison or her sister could come back to finish the job.<p>

There was also another trick I could try; catch a passing vehicle somehow. My plan, which I wasn't sure would work, was to step in front an approaching car and phase into it without going out the other end. It would take a lot of concentrating to stop at the right place and I had to be careful since I didn't want to cause an accident by startling the driver. This was going to be tricky, that was for sure.

As my first test vehicle approached, I stood in the direct middle of the road and possibly the car itself. This way, I can pass through the space in between the passenger and driver's side and not cause an issue. As the car got closer, I closed my eyes and said a small prayer for success as I concentrated. Feeling the car pass though me, I did my best to stop myself at the right place. It paid off since when I opened my eyes, I found myself alone in the back seat; happy that my plan worked.

What I wasn't expecting though was seeing Ashley Marin as the driver.

**Please R&R and a thanks to my Beta Paraddicted for the help!**


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